Dragons shut out by Panthers
It was a frustrating Friday night for the Clinton Dragons as they were shut out at Powell 17-0.
Offense was at a premium for both teams in the first half and unfortunately for the Dragons, the second half as well.
Powell opened the game with a nine-play drive, which took them from their own 32-yard line to the Clinton 44. The drive featured runs by Jonathan McQueen and short completions by Panthers’ quarterback Walker Trusley to Riley Bryant and Spencer Miracle. A sack by the Dragons’ Andrew Shoopman ended the drive.
The running of Cameron Washington and Isaiah Washington helped Clinton to a first down before they too punted.
It was a sign of things to come.
On their second possession, the Panthers held the ball for the remainder of the quarter, driving from their own 15-line to the Dragons’ 34 before they punted again.
Clinton opened the second quarter with a quick three and out as the offense sputtered.
Following an outstanding 49-yard punt by Garrett Zody, Powell took possession on its own 44-yard line but the Clinton defense — led by a quarterback sack by Trevon Hill — forced another punt.
Short rushes by Reagan McKamey and Isaiah Washington were not enough for a first down and the Dragons punted again in a fast-moving first half.
The Panthers went to work from their own 30-yard line and the Dragons were given a heavy dose of running back Bailor Walker, who carried the ball five time for 30 yards on the 12-play drive. He also pulled in a n eight-yard reception on a third down to keep the drive alive.
Trusley ended the drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Carson Cole.
James Hyman added the extra point and the Panthers took a 7-0 lead with 1:22 remaining in the first half.
That was the halftime score as the Dragons were unable to answer.
Clinton opened the second half with a three and out but after Trusley completed a 17-yard pass to Bryant, the Dragons’ defense forced Powell to punt four plays later.
Taking possession on its own 16-yard line, the Clinton offense started showing signs of life as Anthony Shervington ran for 17 yards. On third and nine, Powell’s Bryant intercepted the Clinton pass and returned it 29 yards to the Dragons’ six-yard line.
Two plays later, David Robbins powered in for the Panther touchdown.
Hyman kicked the PAT and Powell led 14-0 with 6:17 remaining in the third quarter.
The Dragons answered with a short drive, which featured several quality gains by Shervington, Ro Hardin, and Cameron Washington. A fumble on third forced another Clinton punt, which drove the Panthers back to their own 16-yard line.
Powell moved the ball to midfield before the drive stalled. They attempted to punt but Shervington broke through and blocked it to give the Dragons the ball at the Powell 38-yard line.
Two sacks and a grounding penalty later, Clinton was forced to open the fourth quarter with yet another punt.
Trusley completed three consecutive passes to Walker (six yards) Bryant (five yards) and Miracle (16 yards). Walker then ran for 13 and Trusley ran for 13 more. A personal foul penalty took the ball all the way down to the Clinton 17-yard line. An offsides penalty on fourth down moved the ball to the 12 where Hyman kicked a 29-yard field goal with 9:57 remaining in the game to give Powell a 17-0 lead.
Quarterback Jacob Brock — one of three quarterbacks used by the Dragons — ran for 10 yards to open the ensuing drive. Hardin then got free for 18 more yards and Clinton looked to be putting together a promising drive. A personal foul penalty moved the ball to the Panthers’ 16-yard line but the Dragons turned the ball over on downs at the Powell 11-yard line.
The Dragons’ defense forced Powell to punt and the offense returned to the field with quarterback Luke Harrison at the helm. He promptly completed a 36-yard pass to Mazon Jinkins but the drive stalled at the Panthers’ 18-yard line, where Clinton turned it over on downs.
The Panthers ran out the clock and sealed the win.
“We were very, very flat in warm-ups. Our team was so hyped up for the Anderson County game, maybe they were afraid to be excited. We were not focused,” said Randy McKamey, head coach of the Dragons.
“We can’t find our identity in terms of being able to throw the football. It’s just one of those things — first year woes and I don’t know how you avoid it. It’s tough,” he said.
“Our defense played certainly well enough for us to win the ballgame. No complaints with the defense. Offensively, we’ve got to find a way to get the ball in the end zone. When we can’t throw, people know it and they crowd the line of scrimmage. We’ve got to do something. We’ll go back and look at film and reevaluate,” McKamey said.
For the evening, the Clinton offense was anemic.
They had only seven first downs for the game and produced 138 yards of total offense.
Harrison was the leading passer, going 4-9 for 45 yards.
Shervington rushed for 37 yards on five carries while Hardin added 25 yards on three carries.
For Powell, Trusley was 17-29 for 187 yards and a touchdown.
Walker led the Panthers with 60 yards on 11 carries.
Robbins had 40 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.
One bright spot for Clinton was Zody, who averaged 40 yards per punt on the night.
Defensively, Jackson Leinart led the Dragons with 10 total tackles, including one for a loss while Hill had nine total tackles with two sacks.
Shoopman had eight total tackles and a sack.
For the Powell defense, Bryson Reed had six total tackles, including three for a loss.
Alvin Stacy had five total tackles while Shawn Shreve had five total tackles and a two forced fumbles.
The loss drops Clinton to 2-2 (0-1 in Region 3-5A) while Powell moves to 3-1 (2-0 in region action).
Clinton visits Knox Central on Friday while Powell hosts Lenoir City.
Kick-off for both games is 7:30 p.m.
Stats
CHS Powell
First downs 7 21
Rushing yds. 93 139
Passing yds. 45 187
Comp./att./int. 4-16-1 18-30-0
Total yds. 138 326
Turnovers 1 0
Penalties 6-52 9-74
Time of poss. 20:44 24:30