Aiden Cantrell completed 9-of-16 attempts for 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while rushing 10 times for 110 yards and three scores on the ground. (Post File Photo by Kacy Kincaid)
STAFF REPORT
LYNCHBURG — Friday night’s non-district clash between the Forrest Rockets and the Moore Count Raiders was nothing short of a good old fashioned shootout.
While Forrest was able take a 37-33 lead on an Aiden Cantrell 10-yard run with 1:01 left in the third, the Raiders (6-3) held the Rockets (5-4) scoreless in the fourth and rallied for 13 points to take the 46-37 win.
Simply put, Moore County’s Isaac Petty would not be denied.
The Raider tailback found the end zone a staggering six times, despite totaling just 80 yards on 22 touches.
Petty got the Raiders on the board at the 6:00 mark of the first frame on a 1-yard burst into the end zone.
Less than four minutes later, Rocket quarterback Aiden Cantrell hit Isaac Cruse on an 8-yard touchdown pass, but the kick after was blocked, leaving the Rockets trailing 7-6.
With less than two minutes left in the quarter, Petty found the end zone for the second time in the quarter, this time coming on a 17-yard run.
While the first quarter was a bit of a back-and-forth affair, the two teams put on a display in the second frame.
Both teams combined for 32 points in the second period alone.
Cantrell put his athleticism on full display in the second quarter and brought the Rockets back within two points following a 48-yard jaunt to paydirt with 11:10 left in the half.
The Rockets then opted for the two-point conversion, which would have tied the game at 14, however, Forrest was held short of the goal line, leaving the Raiders on top 14-12.
For the Raiders, Petty went on to add two more touchdowns to his already stellar first half, while Cohen Grissom sparked the Rocket ground game with a 6-yard rushing touchdown with 6:30 to go.
Petty’s fourth touchdown of the night came with 2:36 left in the half.
With a dwindling clock, Forrest was able to tack on one more score in the half when Cantrell again went to the air and connected with Eli Bell on an 80-yard strike with less than a minute to go.
By halftime, Forrest had rallied, but still trailed the hosts 27-25.
Despite trailing by just two points, Cantrell put the Rockets on his back and found the end zone twice in the third quarter on runs of 1 and 10 yards, with the last score coming at the 1:01 mark of the third to give the Rockets a 37-33 lead heading to the final quarter.
But Moore County simply kept at the ground and pound attack and retook the lead on a Chris Merical 5-yard run with 11:11 left in regulation.
Petty put a cap on his six-touchdown night with 4:48 left in the game.
While Petty was the bell cow for the Raiders, it was quarterback Gavin Wise who churned out the biggest chunks on the ground for Moore County.
Wise rushed the ball 13 times for 107 yards.
Cantrell and Grissom both eclipsed the century mark for the Rockets, with Cantrell totaling 110 yards on 10 carries, while Grissom had 126 yards on 15 touches.
Cantrell completed 9-of-16 attempts for 150 yards and two scores and one interception.
In total, the Rockets cranked out 394 yards of total offense, while Moore County totaled 442 yards.
On Thursday night, the Rockets will look to close out the regular season on a high note against Fayetteville City.
A win over the Tigers on Thursday would lock up the No. 2 seed for Forrest in the upcoming Class 2A playoffs, which are set to kick off next week.
Forrest 6 19 12 0 — 37
Moore Co. 14 13 6 13 — 46
First Quarter
MC — Isaac Petty 1 run, (Aiden Webster kick), 6:00.
F — Isaac Cruse 8 pass from Aiden Cantrell, (kick blocked), 2:22.
MC — Petty 17 run, (Webster kick), 1:58
Second Quarter
F — Cantrell 48 run, (2pt. run failed), 11:10.
MC — Petty 6 run, (Webster kick), 9:33.
F — Cohen Grissom 6 run, (Issac Garcia kick), 6:30.
MC — Petty 2 run, (Kick failed), 2:36.
F — Eli Bell 80 pass from Cantrell, (kick failed), :59.
Third Quarter
F — Cantrell 1 run, (Kick blocked), 8:28.
MC — Petty 1 run, (kick blocked), 5:58.
F — Cantrell 10 run, (2pt. run failed), 1:01.
Fourth Quarter
MC — Chris Merical 5 run, (Webster kick), 11:11.
MC — Petty 1 run, (kick failed), 4:48.
