Dragons are back in action Friday
After two weeks on hold, CHS hosts Oak Ridge
Clinton returns to the field this week with a home region game against long-time football rival Oak Ridge.
The Dragons had to take two weeks off after a COVID-19 scare, and the game against Oak Ridge will be their first game after the time off.
“Unfortunately COVID struck and we had to shut down. ... That leaves me with questions again,” Clinton Head Football Coach Darell Keith said.
“Two weeks away from the game puts us without reps again, so will we pick up where we left off — or are we at zero?
“Basically I’m going into this game blind, that’s the dilemma.”
Clinton put up 14 points last year against Oak Ridge in a game the Dragons lost 27-14, the closest score they’ve had against Oak Ridge since 2015, when Clinton lost 24-13. Clinton is 0-5 this year, having to forfeit against Meigs County and Monroe County. The Dragons are ranked 36th in their division (5A) and 174th in the state.
Oak Ridge, meanwhile, is 2-3 for the season after wins against Hardin Valley Academy and Campbell County and losses to West, Dobyns-Bennet, and Farragut. Currently, Oak Ridge is ranked ninth in its own division (5A), sitting just beneath Bristol and just above Rhea County, while, statewide, it ranks 49th, just beneath Father Ryan High School and just above Bristol High School. Curiously, that puts Oak Ridge above Bristol in the state rankings, while putting it beneath Bristol in the division rankings. Oak Ridge is ranked seventh among teams in the general Knoxville area, just behind Central.
Across the bridge, Anderson County travels to Dandridge to face Jefferson High School after beating Howard 42-0.
Last year, the Mavericks beat the Patriots 42-6 in a one-sided game at home, but this year, Jefferson has the home-field advantage. Whether that will make a difference or not can’t be said, but as of writing, the game leans decisively in the Mavericks’ favor.
The Mavs are 3-2 for the season, losing to Powell and South Doyle in two games that were up in the air until the final moments.
Jefferson is 0-5 and sits at 42nd in its division (6A), after losses to West, Morristown-West, Rhea County, and Sevier County. As of writing, it sits at 197th in the state.
David Gillum, the head coach for the Mavs, said he’s expecting a stronger game from Jefferson than in years past.
“From watching film, they look pretty good this year,” he said. “They’ve had a lot of self-inflicted things go against them in games like South-Doyle and Science Hill, but they look like a pretty good team. We’ve got some kids injured right now, and depending on who’s available this Friday, we may have our hands full. They’re a big team, very physical OL and DL. They have a tailback that’s pretty fast, and definitely a threat to take the distance at every play. If we don’t fit things up well and tackle at the line of scrimmage, then he’s a danger to take any mess-up to the house.”
Gillum also spoke on how the season’s progressing so far for the Mavericks and the steps they’re taking to make sure they stay safe amongst the rising COVID-19 cases across Tennessee.
“I feel good for the season,” he said. “Nothing’s happened to discourage us from the ultimate goal to get into the state championship.
“We had a couple of rough games against Powell and South Doyle, and we’ve found some things we need to fix. We’re trying to do that every week. We’re trying to get a little better at those things each week, and we’ll see how much ground we cover before playoff time. But there’s still time for us to do that and we feel good about it.
“Almost every one of our starters are taking online classes so they can’t get contact-traced, and when they travel to games, they’re with parents, and when they get to the fieldhouse, we’ve got them split up with the freshmen in the weight room and the varsity doing their own thing. We’re trying to do everything possible to make sure that nobody can get contact-traced. and that’s all we really can do.”