NOT DONE YET!

Dragons return to playoffs

October 31, 2018

Dragon quarterback Luke Harrison (5) dives over the top to pick up a Clinton first down (photo:Tony Cox )

Clinton had the ball first, and put together a beautiful drive into Karns territory. However, a 95-yard pick-six would put the Dragons down 7-0 with 6:10 left in the first quarter. The Dragons were able to answer with another long, time consuming drive. From their own 36-yardline, Clinton would reach the Karns half of the field in three plays and the help of a Beavers offsides penalty. Senior running backs Josh Breeden and Reagan Mckamey would carry Clinton down to the Karns 20-yardline, and a facemask penalty on the Beavers would put the Dragons on the Karns three-yardline. Breeden would cap off the drive on the ensuing play, taking a handoff off right tackle three yards to paydirt. The Dragons took the lead when senior field general Luke Harrison found Mckamey for a two point conversion reception. With 48 seconds left in the first quarter, the Dragons led 8-7.

Onside kickoffs were the Dragons go-to move of the night, but Clinton would fail to recover the attempt. With good field position, at their own 46-yardline, the Beavers were able to move into Clinton territory with a first down. However, a chop block would move the Beavers back to the 50-yardline. Facing a third-and-19, Karns senior quarterback Daniel Kitts took a shot downfield and completed a long bomb to fellow senior Thomas Harper, down to the Clinton six-yardline. Three plays later Kitts put a beautiful back shoulder throw to junior Jalen Tucker, who made a spectacular onehanded catch for a Karns touchdown. The extra point was no good, but the Beavers took a 13-8 lead with 8:50 to play in the second quarter.

Senior Cody Parker returned the kickoff up to the Dragons’ 37-yardline. Once again, the Dragons went to work through the ground game and picked up two first downs on consecutive Mckamey carries. Clinton drove down to the Karns 22-yardline, before a holding call pushed them back. Two plays later, facing a fourth-and-nine, Clinton was called for a false start penalty. So now the Dragons faced a fourth-and-14 from the Beavers’ 26-yardline. Luke Washington would escape the pocket and scramble down to the five-yardline for a huge fourth down conversion. On the ensuing play, Mckamey would carry towards left end and cut up field into the endzone for his first touchdown of the game. The two-point conversion was successful when Harrison rifled a pass to Parker. With 3:24 to go in the half, Clinton regained a 16-13 advantage.

Clinton would be unable to recover the ensuing onside kick, and Karns took over from their own 44-yardline. All the Beavers needed was three plays to regain the lead. After an incomplete pass, and a run for no gain, on third-and-ten Kitts once again took a shot down field. Jalen Tucker would find his second score of the game on a 56-yard touchdown strike. The PAT was good, and Karns led 20-16 with 2:24 left in the second quarter. Both teams traded scoreless possessions, and the Dragons went into the break trailing Karns by four.

The first half of the third quarter was wild. The Dragons again failed to recover the attempted onside kick to start the second half. Karns started their drive at their own 49-yardline, and had intentions to capitalize on the good field position. Inside Clinton territory, the Beavers faced first-and-20 on two separate occasions because of holding penalties. After the first holding call, the Beavers grinded out a first down, and drove down to the Clinton 14-yardline before the second holding call was assessed. From the Clinton 24-yardline, Karns ran three plays, down to the Clinton 5-yardline. The Beavers faced a fourth-and-one, so Karns called a timeout to figure out the right play to run. Here, this play, might go down as the biggest play of the season for the Clinton defense. Instead of Karns converting and possibly extending their lead, the Dragons’ defense sniffed out the play in the backfield. The Beavers turned the ball over on downs, and Clinton would quickly capitalize. On first-and-ten, from the shadows of their own uprights—the six-yardline—Josh Breeden would get a carry of right end, bounce to the outside, race down the Clinton sideline, and flipped the field. Breeden would eventually be pushed out at the Beavers’ six-yardline, but his 88-yard sprint was one of the longest rushing plays from scrimmage in Clinton history. Breeden set up the ensuing play—a six yard dive up the middle by senior Andrew Shoopman for a Dragons’ touchdown. On the two-point conversion, Cody Parker carried around right end, stretched the angle to the pylon, which the senior running back then dove at. The ball’s contact with the pylon gave Clinton two points, and a 24-20 lead with 5:31 left in the third quarter.

On the ensuing onside attempt, the Dragons finally landed on one, and all momentum had swung Clinton’s way. The Dragons got the ball back, and had a great opportunity to put a nail in the Karns’ coffin. Unfortunately, a fourth-and-three situation was plagued by two back-to-back penalties and the Dragons were forced to punt because of them. “We should have punched it in right there, it would have broken their back. But we were able to steal a possession from them, and chewed some clock.” The penalty plague followed Clinton to the defensive side of the ball as well. The Beavers started the drive at their own 28-yardline, but a pass interference call on a third-and-ten bailed the Beavers out. Two plays later, another pass interference penalty moved Karns across midfield. After a four yard run on first down, the third quarter of play came to a close. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Kitts found senior Caleb Keeter for a 37 yard touchdown pass. Nick Rhodes’ extra point put the Beavers back on top 27-24, with 11:48 left in the ballgame.

On the ensuing kickoff, a block in the back penalty erased a Parker return, and the Dragons opened the drive at their own 20-yardline. Luckily there would be no penalties on this drive, but there was a lot of ground and pound, hard-nosed running of the football. Two successive Breeden carries, and a Mckamey 25-yard sweep to the left put the Dragons into Karns territory. Those were followed by four more positive rushing plays, which landed the Dragons on the Karns’ three-yardline. On third-and-goal, Breeden would find the endzone for his second touchdown of the night. Noah Grumbach tacked on the PAT, and Clinton regained a 31-27 lead with 7:10 left to play.

The ensuing onside kick was recovered by Karns, and the Beavers took over at their own 44-yardline. The Clinton defense stopped a first down run in the backfield for a three yard loss, followed by an incompletion. On third-and-13, from the Karns 41-yardline, Kitts dropped back to pass, then escaped the pocket upfield to the Clinton 38-yardline, for a first down. Three plays later, sophomore tailback Austin Samples put the Beavers back on top with a strong 18-yard touchdown run. The PAT was blocked by Luke Johnson, but Karns led 33-31 with 5:14 left to play.

The ensuing kickoff was fair caught, and the Clinton offense returned to the field needing points to keep the Dragons’ season alive. From their own 40-yardline, a Mckamey rush followed by a Breeden rush moved the Dragons to midfield. A Mckamey sweep to the left was good for ten yards, and another Clinton first down. Two short runs later, Clinton faced a third-and-one at the Beavers’ 31-yardline. Luke Harrison converted on a quarterback sneak. On first down, at the 25-yardline, Breeden rushed up the middle down the eight-yardline. His number would be called again, and Breeden was good for four yards. From the Karns’ four-yardline, on second-and-goal, it was Reagan Mckamey’s game-winner time—his second touchdown of the night. Luke Harrison made the Clinton lead 39-33, on a successful two-point conversion keeper up the middle. The ten-play 59-yard drive took 4:12 off the clock, and left Karns with only 1:02 of clock to work with. The Dragons’ defense held one last time, and forced Karns to turn the ball over on downs, on four straight plays. Cue the victory formation, a 39-33 win, and a spot in the TSSAA 5A Playoffs. “They needed the time from six to eight plays that we stole from them, so in the end not scoring (after recovering the onside kick) was not in vain,” said Randy Mckamey.

The Dragons are the Region 3-5A four seed, and will travel to face Soddy-Daisy, the Region 4-5A Champion, in the first round this Friday. Clinton will ride into the contest on some much needed momentum, and upset intentions. Kickoff for the first round matchup is scheduled for 7:00.