Who’s on tap when football comes around?
Some familiar faces for the Dragons in 2023
RHETT SEIVERS
The 2022 campaign was a bittersweet one for the Dragons, who won five games out of 10.
None of those victories, however, was over a Region 3-5A foe. Clinton was competitive in the league, but four of its five losses came in heartbreaking fashion.
Clinton lost those four region games by a total 24 points, It fell to Campbell County in overtime, dropped a 24-20 decision to Lenoir City, and came up on the short end of a pair of seven-point games against Oak Ridge and Powell.
The Dragons concluded their season with a loss at Karns, 50-28.
Clinton faces a tough schedule in 2023.
It will face off against a pair of 2022 state champions that went undefeated: Anderson County (Class 4A) and Knoxville’s West High School (Class 5A), which both went 15-0.
Six of the Dragons’ opponents made the playoffs. Lenoir City (4-6), Cleveland (6-4) and Heritage (4-6) each narrowly missed the postseason. The Panthers and Mountaineers each had their best season in several years.
The Dragons open their 2023 season on Friday, Aug. 18, at home against the Cleveland Blue Raiders.
Despite missing the postseason in 2022, the Blue Raiders consistently have talent and are one of the state’s most well-established teams. Cleveland leads the all-time series with Clinton 3-0. The Blue Raiders’ state-championship teams in 1993 and ’94 swept a home-and-home with the Dragons, and Cleveland won a 2014 playoff game over visiting Clinton, 10-7.
On Aug. 25, the Dragons will host Coach Lamar Brown’s West Rebels, who are seeking a second-consecutive Class 5A state title.
Clinton and West first met in the 1972 Jaycee Bowl in Clinton, a 24-0 Dragon victory.
West leads the series overall 12-7, having won the last 10 in a row dating to a 17-14 win by the Dragons in Clinton in 2002.
On Sept. 1, the Dragons will travel to Huntsville to take on the Scott Highlanders.
Clinton won its only two meetings with Scott in 2017-18 in low-scoring affairs, 10-0 in Clinton in ’17 and 16-8 at Scott the following season.
In Week 4, the Dragons face their second road game as they open Region 3-5A play at Campbell County.
Clinton will travel to Scarbro Stadium to take on Powell (now a non-region opponent) on Sept. 14. The Panthers outlasted CHS 29-22 in Clinton last season and finished 11-3.
One of Clinton’s oldest rivals, Powell first met the Dragons in 1932.
The Dragons host Oak Ridge Sept. 22. The Wildcats, who have a new head coach in Derek Rang, went 7-6 and reached the Class 5A quarterfinals. ORHS edged Clinton 21-14 last season. The Wildcats have a considerable advantage in the series with Clinton, 49-12 overall.
The Dragons will rekindle their crosstown rivalry with Anderson County, the defending Class 4A state champion, on Sept. 28. The teams last played in 2020, with the Mavericks claiming a victory. The Clinton-AC series was close after the first 13 meetings, with the Dragons winning seven of them. From 2000 on, the Mavericks have won 21 of 22 against Clinton. The Dragons’ lone victory in that stretch was a 35-21 decision in Clinton in 2009, but the Mavericks avenged that loss 31-28 weeks later in the second round of the playoffs.
Clinton travels to Lenoir City on Oct. 6. The Dragons will look to avenge last year’s 24-20 loss in Clinton. The Panthers and Dragons first met in Clinton’s inaugural season in 1923, and the Dragons have a 13-11-1 advantage in the series.
After an open date, the Dragons host Karns on Oct. 20. The Beavers won in 2022, but will have a new coach. Brad Taylor left the program after guiding Karns to back-to-back postseason appearances. Lee Warren will be the Beavers’ interim head coach.
Clinton closes out the regular season at home against Heritage in a non-region contest. The Dragons lead the series 10-3 over Heritage. The Mountaineers won their first two games against Clinton in 1979-80, but the Dragons swept eight meetings in a row from 1981-92 and won a ninth straight in a 75-43 shootout at Heritage in 2015. The 75 points are the most Clinton has ever scored in a game in its century of playing football.
Dan McWilliams contributed to this article.