‘We’ll see them in the playoffs’

After loss to ORHS, Clinton looks to Game Four and then a rematch in the postseason

September 7, 2022

The Clinton Dragons came a chain link or two away from a key first down on a potential game-tying drive in the fourth quarter at Oak Ridge on Friday, and the host Wildcats held on for a 21-14 victory.

Oak Ridge won its 13th in a row over Clinton in the Region 3-5A opener for both teams. Each squad stands at 2-1 overall after the game.

The Wildcats scored on their first two possessions, while the potent Dragon offense did not achieve a first down in the first quarter.

Quarterback Joshuah Keith went 13-for-23 passing for the Dragons for 99 yards and a touchdown, and on the ground, he ran seven times for 59 yards.

Jawan Goins rushed 15 times for 74 yards for Clinton. Chauncey Felts scored for Clinton on the ground, and Lucas Kendall added a receiving touchdown.

De’jauvis Dozier ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries for the Wildcats.

“I’ve got no excuses. We should have won that football game,” said Dragon head coach Darell Keith. “We came in here—the lights were too bright in the first half. We came back in the second half. When it was time for them to make a play, when they drove the ball down and scored, they made a play. When it was time for us to come back and tie the game up, we were one link short. “It came down to who made plays and who didn’t make plays. At times it seemed like we wanted it more, and at times it seemed like they wanted it more. My hat’s off to them, got nothing negative to say about them. We’ll move on to opponent four, and we’ll see them in the playoffs.”

Oak Ridge scored on a 22-yard pass from quarterback Peyton Sharpe to Brian Kelley with 7:31 left in the first quarter. David Wilson’s extra point gave the hosts a 7-0 lead. Dozier ran the ball into the end zone from 22 yards out on the final play of the first quarter for a 14-0 Wildcat advantage.

Wildcat kicker Brennan Pearson kept the Dragons backed up with touchbacks on kickoffs and on a punt.

Late in the first half, Clinton moved 71 yards in 10 plays to get on the scoreboard. Goins reeled off a 21-yard rush, and Keith ran the ball 16 yards to set up first-and-goal at the Oak Ridge 6-yard line. Three plays later, as time expired in the first half, Keith connected with Kendall from 4 yards out for a touchdown. Kendall made a nice catch in the back-left corner of the end zone, and Jacob Prewitt’s extra-point kick cut the Oak Ridge lead to 14-7 at the break.

Both teams punted three times in a scoreless third quarter before Clinton took over at its own 40 with 30.5 seconds left in the period. The Dragons tied the score in 10 plays. Goins ran 2 yards for a first down on fourth-and-one, and Felts added a 10-yard run. Keith ran 12 yards to set up first-and-goal at the 4, and Felts motored in for the TD on the next play. Prewitt’s kick tied the game at 14-14 with 8:02 left in the fourth quarter.

Almani Rembert returned the ensuing kickoff 27 yards to the Oak Ridge 49, and the Wildcats scored the tiebreaking touchdown in only four plays, all runs by Dozier. Dozier had a 25-yard run for one first down, then scored on a 15-yard jaunt for a 21-14 Wildcat lead with 6:14 remaining.

Clinton drove from its 20 after a touchback to the Wildcat 46. But on fourth-and-two, Felts appeared to gain 2 or 3 yards but was spotted short. The measurement by the officials came up just shy of a first down, and the Dragons turned the ball over and watched the Wildcats run out the clock.

“Realistically, I’ve been here three years. We’ve taken kids who have gone 2-8, 1-9, 2-8, 3-7, and we’ve got them in the conversation,” head coach Keith said. “But I still think that there’s still a mental block, a mental advantage toward Oak Ridge, but if we lined up and played them again tomorrow we’d beat them because now we know we belong.”

Keith’s son, the Dragon quarterback, ran the ball more against the Wildcats than he had in previous games this season.

“We should really use run-designed plays for Josh, but he’s a small fellow and somewhat not durable, and right now to lose him this early in the season would be catastrophic. But we plan to open it up a little bit more next week,” the Clinton head coach said. “You’ll see him run the ball a little bit more, but more outside runs instead of inside the tackles.”

Oak Ridge had fewer two-way players than Clinton did.

“One of the things that is our greatest Achilles heel, and I knew they were going to exploit is, we’ve got too many guys playing both ways, and they’ve only got a few guys playing both ways, and in the end it worked to their advantage,” Keith said.

The Dragon coach is hoping to see Oak Ridge again the postseason.

“It’ll be different the next time we see them. We’ve got to get ready for opponent No. 4. We’ll see those guys again in the playoffs.”

Clinton hosts Cherokee this Friday.