Rockets Top Pythons

Decatur,AL-Saturday’s Gridiron Development Developmental Football Impact Division South division contest was a instate match-up of the Huntsville Rockets and the River City Pythons. 

Both teams entered the game undefeated and anxious to make a statement for the division lead. 

This rivalry is one that boiled deep in the minds of each team. The Rockets are full of players that are from the Decatur area so this is almost like a homecoming contest to them. 

The football Gods would shine upon Decatur Alabama and both teams would be able to take the field. This contest was originally scheduled in the second week of the season, but Mother Nature would cause the game to be rescheduled.

The Huntsville Rockets entered the contest with two previous victories and a margin of victory of 57.5 points. The Pythons entered 2-0 as well but only with a slim margin of victory of 9 points. With the Impact Division lead on the line, neither team would take this game lightly. 

As emotions rose and the captains took the field, you could feel the tension from the first kickoff. Both teams would come out on fire, but the Rockets would strike first and would never fall behind in the contest. Rockets RB Larry Goode, a Decatur native, would have a monster game with over 100 yards rushing and 2 TDs. WR Ryan Watson, also a Decatur native, would follow with a punt return touchdown of his own. Montarious Smith would add to the Rockets scoring machine with a 40yd leaping touchdown.

The Pythons would not go down lightly, proving that they belong in playoff conversations as they put up the best fight for a powerful Rockets team. Every time the Rockets would look to pull away, the Pythons would find a way to stay in the game. At the end of the day, the Rockets would be too powerful, although shorthanded, for the Pythons to overcome. 

At the end of the game, Head Coach Nicholas Benjamin had this to say:

“We played well enough to win, but that is not enough when you are focused on the big picture. We want to take this season one game at a time and not overlook any opponent, however tonight, we made a lot of mental mistakes that will cost us in a tight game. 

I am proud of my guys and they way they came out with a victory, but we have to continue to work on us. Work on executing our game plan. Work on staying focused through adversity. Then and only then will we be the team that I believe we can be.”

The Rockets will face the Georgia Crush next week at home and the Pythons will travel to Nashville to take on the Middle Tennessee Bulldawgs.