Conotton Valley lights up scoreboard in first-round playoff football win

It was an air show that, fittingly, the Rockets eventually flew away with.

Hosting Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans in a first-round Div. VII, Region 27 football game, the eighth-seeded and host Rockets put up 58 second-half points and pulled away for a 78-46 victory on Oct. 31.

Leading 22-21 at halftime after a touchdown and 2-point conversion, Conotton Valley (8-3) exploded for three third-quarter touchdowns and three more in the fourth to advance to a Nov. 7 game at No. 1 seed and defending Div. VII state runner-up Jeromesville Hillsdale (9-1).

Incredibly, the Rockets rolled up over 800 yards of offense, with quarterback Kaden Leggett completing 17 of 26 passes for 469 yards and a whopping seven touchdowns.

Most of the receiving damage was done by the duo of R.J. Higgenbotham and Kamden Wright. Higgenbotham snagged six passes for 207 yards and three scores, including a 75-yard TD in the third period, while Wright had seven catches for 171 yards and the score just before the half that gave CV the lead for good. Both caught three scoring aerials.

Supplying the ground punch was Gavin Haney, whose 91-yard touchdown gallop near the end of the third quarter highlighted his 10-carry, 194-yard rushing night that included three scores. Haney added a fourth TD on a pass from Leggett.

After Bishop Rosecrans pulled to within 10 at 56-46 in the fourth quarter on a 44-yard TD pass from Hayden Perdue to Titan Grandstaff, Haney slammed the door on the Bishops (6-5) with touchdown runs of 47, 20, and 22 yards.

Haney also led the defense with 14 tackles, including three for loss, and Tyler Krawulski had a pair of sacks.

Rosecrans had 567 yards of offense itself, including 469 yards and five touchdowns through the air, but the Bishops threw five picks.

In Hillsdale, the Rockets take on the top seed. The Falcons have been stewing since their lone loss, a Week 10 24-17 setback at Norwayne that cost Hillsdale the Wayne County Athletic League title. Hillsdale is led by RB Owen Sloan with 1,391 yards and 19 touchdowns rushing, while quarterback Kael Lewis has thrown for 1,731 yards, 19 TDs and only two interceptions. Hayden McFadden (7 TDs) has 30 receptions, Kyle Turk (3 TDs) 29 and Knox Lewis (5 TDs) has 27 grabs.