Football Recap: Elijah Thomas Key Part of Team Effort in Rockets Win
By Team Reports
Oct 14, 2025, 6:15am
Football Recap: Person Rockets vs. Cummings Cavaliers
The Person Rockets beat the Cummings Cavaliers 40-28 on Friday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Rockets.

Elijah Thomas
08/29/25 @ Halifax County | 181 |
10/10/25 @ Cummings | 165 |
10/03/25 @ Graham | 152 |
09/05/25 vs Riverside-Durham | 99 |
08/22/25 vs Franklinton | 50 |
+ 1 more games |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Person to victory, but perhaps none more so than Elijah Thomas, who rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.3 yards per carry. Thomas is becoming a predictor of the Rockets' success: when he posts at least 100 rushing yards the team is undefeated (and 1-3 when he doesn't). Justin Pope was another key back, rushing for 116 yards and a pair of scores on only 12 carries.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Person was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 325 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Person's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB three times. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Rylan Phillips, Lucas Betts, and Todd Halljr, who each picked up one sack apiece. Another thorn in Cummings' side was Phillips, who picked up a sack, made 11 total tackles (2.0 for loss), and defended one pass.
Person now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Cummings, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-5.
Looking ahead, Person will host Southern Alamance at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 846 yards in their previous games. As for Cummings, they will take on Western Alamance at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Warriors' defense has only allowed 11.7 points per game this season, so the Cavaliers' offense will have their work cut out for them.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps