Dragons get back to winning after OT thriller against Gibbs

October 26, 2022 by Dan McWilliams Special to The Courier News

Clinton quarterback Joshua Keith accounted for seven of the team’s eight touchdowns Friday as the Dragons outscored visiting Gibbs 53-50 in overtime.

Keith scored the game-winner on a one-yard sneak in OT after Gibbs kicked its third field goal of the game on its possession in the extra period. Clinton’s second overtime game of the season marked the first time since 1985 that the Dragons had played multiple OT games in one campaign.

The contest featured nearly 1,200 combined yards of offense and no punts as both teams’ records stood at 5-4 after the outcome.

Keith went 20-for-23 passing, for a career-high 402 yards and four touchdowns. He rushed for three TDs. Jeremiah Lee returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown for the Dragons. Lucas Kendall led Clinton receivers with six catches for 138 yards and two TDs. D’mon Marable added four catches for 96 yards and two TDs as well as several hard-hitting tackles on defense. Braylon Taylor caught three passes for 71 yards and Lee three for 36.

Jawan Goins led the Dragons’ ground game with 17 rushes for 103 yards, giving Clinton 516 yards of total offense.

Gibbs’ offense ran 90 plays for 586 total yards. Quarterback Bryson Palmer rushed 15 times for 144 yards and a touchdown and completed 17 passes in 29 attempts for 290 yards and three TDs. Running back Nathan Butler rushed 32 times for 109 yards and two TDs and caught two passes for 50 yards. Bryson Walker led Gibbs receivers with 11 catches for 168 yards and two TDs.

The game also included more than 300 yards in penalties as the Dragons were flagged 21 times for 216 yards and the Eagles nine for 108.

Dragon head Coach Darell Keith was pleased after the game.

“The effort was phenomenal,” he said. “Defensively, we’ve got the kids at a disadvantage because we changed our coordinator in midseason, and they’re playing a totally different defense against a team that’s well-versed in their offense. For that, I apologize. The effort is always there when these guys play, and this time they closed it out. It seems like Clinton has to work for everything that it gets, and we don’t want it any other way.

“This is so befitting to go down and take a hard win. My hat’s off to Gibbs.”

Keith also saluted his assistant coach Jason Hamock.

“Hamock has matured us as an offensive coordinator. He has done a phenomenal job,” he said.

Clinton opened the game with a 78-yard TD drive in only three pass plays. Kendall made a nice catch for a 41-yard gain, and Marable reeled in passes of 15 and 22 yards for the TD. Jacob Prewitt’s first of five extra points made it a 7-0 game with only 67 seconds gone in the first quarter.

Gibbs answered in five plays, capped by QB Palmer’s 63-yard TD run. Benji Angola’s extra point tied the game at 7-7 with 9:24 showing on the first-quarter clock.

Lee fielded the ensuing kickoff at his 6-yard line and motored 94 yards for a TD and a 14-7 Dragon lead with 9:10 left

A Brent Reynolds sack, the first of two for the Dragon defender, helped stall Gibbs’ next drive on downs. The Eagles mishandled a punt snap and turned the ball over on downs at their own 29-yard line, but after a 24-yard Kendall catch, the Dragons fumbled the ball out of the end zone for a touchback.

Gibbs went on a 10-play, 80-yard drive to tie the game. Eli Hubbs scored on a 17-yard pass from Palmer with 1:35 left in the first quarter.

Clinton responded with a 60-yard drive in seven plays, capped by Kendall’s 13-yard reception at the goal line for a TD. The Dragons led 21-14 with 10:39 to go in the first half.

Marable recovered a Gibbs fumble at the Dragon 1-yard line on the Eagles’ next series, but Clinton committed a holding penalty in the end zone for a safety. The score stood at 21-16 with 8:36 remaining in the half.

Gibbs took the free kick but was unable to score as Wesley Phillips and Chase Glandon combined on a fourth-down sack for the Dragons to turn the ball over to Clinton.

The Dragons moved 56 yards in four plays for a TD. Bryson Maddox caught a 24-yard Keith toss, and Goins ran for 15 yards. Kendall caught the TD on a 30-yard pass from the Dragon QB for a 28-16 Clinton led with 5:14 showing.

Reynolds’ second sack opened the next Gibbs drive, but the Eagles would score in 12 plays, capped by Angola’s 26-yard field goal to make it a 28-19 game. The half soon ended, despite catches of 24 yards by Marable, 11 by Goins, and 28 by Taylor as the Dragons failed to score.

Dragon penalties helped Gibbs move 76 yards in 13 plays for a TD to open the second half. Butler scored on a 3-yard rush with 7:41 on the clock to cut Clinton’s lead to 28-26.

The Eagles recovered an onside kick and scored in eight plays. Butler tallied on a 1-yard run. Gibbs’ two-point-conversion pass failed, but the Eagles had their first lead of the game at 32-28 with 4:06 remaining in the third quarter, the Dragons not having possessed the ball for nearly 8 minutes to start the period.

Clinton would move 56 yards in six plays to retake the lead. Kendall caught a 23-yard pass and Goins had an 11-yard run. Keith scored on a 1-yard sneak for the TD and a 34-32 lead with 1:49 left in the third.

Gibbs turned the ball over on downs as the Dragon defense made a big fourth-down stop at the Eagles’ 49-yard line.

The Dragon offense would score in only two-plays: a 14-yard Keith pass to Lee and a 35-yard Marable pass over the middle for the touchdown. Clinton’s two-point pass failed, but the Dragons led 40-32 with 10:22 left in the game.

Gibbs answered with a 34-yard TD pass from Palmer to Walker. The Eagles’ two-point run failed, but the Dragon lead was down to 40-38 with 7:59 remaining.

Clinton moved 52 yards in three plays for another TD after Jaxon Herrell recovered Gibbs’ onside kick. Goins ran for 22 yards, Taylor caught a 35-yard Keith pass, and Keith scored on an 8-yard run. Prewitt’s extra point gave Clinton a 47-38 lead with 6:36 left.

Gibbs scored in only two plays, getting a 27-yard pass from Palmer to Butler and a 35-yard pass to Walker for the TD. A two-point pass failed, but the Dragon lead was down to 47-44 with 5:54 remaining.

Clinton turned the ball over on downs at the Gibbs 13-yard line with 1:26 left despite a 22-yard Keith pass to Goins.

The Eagles moved 75 yards in 10 plays, tying the game at 47-all as time expired on a 29-yard Angola field goal.

In overtime, Gibbs failed to score on three plays and settled for another 29-yard Angola field goal and a 50-47 lead.

The Eagles committed a substitution-infraction penalty before Clinton’s first play in OT, moving the Dragons from the 10 to the 5-yard line. Two Goins runs set up the Dragons at the 1-yard line, and after a Gibbs timeout, Keith scored on a sneak to end the game.

Head coach Keith thanked the Dragon fans for turning out strong in the team’s final home game of the season.

“I just love Clinton,” he said.