Rockets recharged and ready for TriCo speed run – Longview Daily News

That season-dampening loss came in the de facto 1A TriCo League championship tilt against La Center in which the Rockets fell 26-6 for their first loss of the shortened season.

Six months later, Castle Rock is hell bent on quickly getting back to those lofty heights and then, even more importantly, they plan to stick the landing.

The Rockets will face a tough test in Week 1 when they travel to Longview Memorial Stadium for a contest against the 2A Monarchs of Mark Morris.

“Mark Morris is always a great one, but we’ll be battle tested by the time we hit league play,” Gehring said.

The rest of the slate won’t provide much more relief, either, as the Rockets take on Ridgefield in Week 2. Once it gets to league games Castle Rock can look forward to Seton Catholic and the returning TriCo co-offensive player of the year, C.J. Hamblin. And if the Rockets can clear that hurdle they’ll still have to go head-to-head with La Center in Week 9 to take the league crown. 

With a pro-spread offense and a 3-4 defense, the Rockets will look to strike early and often with the oblong ball in their hands while doing their best to put up an impervious front to stop opponents in their tracks.

Chance Naugle will handle the controls for the offense in his third season as starting quarterback. A second team selection in the TriCo last season, Naugle has put in the work to turn from a game manager to a true threat under center. Naugle will look to get the ball to Chase Rusher and Lane Partridge on the outside.

With Adam Partridge at fullback the Rockets know at least half of their rushing attack but they are still searching for more heads to fit their running monster.

“We’re looking for the next guy to step into that running back role,” Gehring explained. “Right now it is sophomore Ian Burton…He got rotation in at running back and he surprised us as a freshman. He’s the guy in that spot right now.”

Landon Gardner, last year’s TriCo Defensive Player of the Year, will return to his favorite spot at defensive end and Adam Partidge will likely mirror him on the other end of the line. Last season Gardner averaged more than eight tackles per game, with 7.5 tackles for a loss, three sacks and one forced fumble.

“Landon is a self-motivated player that is always looking to improve himself on and off the field,” Gehring said. “He is going to be a fun player to watch and follow throughout the season.”

Hayden Curtiss is expected to make contributions as a cornerback after earning an honorable mention in the spring as a junior. David Garcia will be another lockdown Rocket as he returns to the gridiron for his junior campaign after earning 1st Team TriCo honors as both a lineman and linebacker last season.

But with more than several big names missing from last year’s fearsome squad, Castle Rock will need to look deep in the cupboard to fill all of their open positions.

“We’ve got some young guys that are eager to step up,” Gehring said.

With 45 players in preseason camp, including a total of 11 returning starters, head coach Aaron Gehring has plenty of assets to work with. That turnout includes Trevor Rogen and Owen Langdon, a pair of hard-working freshmen looking to crack the rotation with their defensive prowess and special teams play.