Clinton’s experience won out over a very young Blacksburg team Friday night to give the Red Devils their 4th region championship in a row, 48-7, playing at Blacksburg.
It was the first time Clinton ever had played there – realignment two seasons ago placed Clinton in Region 1-AA playing teams it had little experience competing against. With the win, Clinton is guaranteed the #1 seed in Class AA, hosting at least the first two rounds of the playoffs.
“The last couple of games I thought we started slow, so if we had won the toss, we would have elected to have the ball (rather than defer to the second half),” Clinton Football Head Coach Corey Fountain said. As it turned out, Blacksburg won the toss, elected to take the ball, and wound up giving over the ball to Clinton to start the second half. It mattered little in this contest – Clinton held on Blacksburg’s first drive, and KJ Vance scored on a 5-yard run. With the ball to start the second half, Clinton added its 41st point on Owen Glenn’s 5-yard run – that capped a 74-yard drive.
“We have to do a better job on PATs and field goals, blocking for those,” Fountain said. “(Otherwise) it was awesome to get everyone in the game. It was fun to watch those young guys play.”
Because Landrum and Blacksburg shut down their JV seasons early, Clinton’s JV was denied its final two contests of the season. But that gave coaches for the varsity the chance to bring up 21 JV players. Who got brought up was determined in open competition during practice.
As difficult as it seems, playing against an opponent that is now 1-8, Clinton had an outside chance of losing the Region Championship to Blacksburg. Defeating Landrum, 14-6, for their only win of the season, Blacksburg with a win over Clinton Friday night AND a win over Liberty this coming Friday could have wrapped its season with a 3-1 region mark – and won the head to head over Clinton.
That was an extremely unlikely scenario, but as they say, “That’s why they play the games.”
After Vance’s 1st quarter touchdown, Blacksburg messed up a punt and gave Clinton the ball at its own 12-yard line. Javen Cook punched in the first of his 3 touchdowns on the night (10 carries for 146 yards). Glenn tossed a 63-yard score to Maison Tinsley, who in the 2nd half also came up with an interception on a 4th and 8 Blacksburg play.
The Devil D stuffed Blacksburg on a 4th and 1 at midfield and then Cook set sail for a 45-yard score (2-point conversion successful). Cook scored again before halftime – 20-yard run – to push the score to 34-0 in Clinton’s favor. After a Glenn scoring run and Tinsley’s interception, Clinton was unsuccessful on a 41-yard field goal attempt.
Blacksburg hit a scoring pass at the 6-minute mark left in the game. Reserve running back Bryland James scored for Clinton at the 4:12 mark to round out the game.
Clinton’s defense held the young Blacksburg offense to 112 yards total (58 rushing and 54 passing) and 1 for 11 on 3rd down conversions.
Going into the late in the season bye week (no game for Clinton on Halloween), Fountain said he expects the team to practice as normal during the upcoming week and take next Friday off. He said, “By then we will have figured out who we are playing in the playoffs, and we’ll have the film by (next) Sunday.”
At 7-3 overall, Clinton will come into “the third season” – the Class AA playoffs – as the defending state champion.
SC Prep Football
Media Poll:
Class 2A 1. Strom Thurmond (7) (7-1) 2. Clinton (10) (6-3) 3. Central (2) (6-1) 4. Timberland (1) (7-1) 5. Hampton County (5-3) 6. Phillip Simmons (6-2) 7. Fairfield Central (6-3) 8. Batesburg-Leesville (5-3) 9. Chester (6-3) 10. Andrew Jackson (5-3) Others receiving votes: Saluda, East Clarendon
