Hawks have strong defense in first half in loss to Braves
Three games into the 2024 middle school football season, Clinton continues to struggle.
The Hawks fell to 0-3 after a 28-8 loss to Fort Loudoun on Thursday night.
Clinton hung tough early, trailing the Braves 12-8 at halftime, but the Hawks’ inability to execute in the second half left Coach Eric Woodard frustrated.
“Our defense played really well; it was 12-8 at halftime,” Woodard said. “We just can’t finish a game, and we had over 100 yards in penalties. But I think we’re getting closer.
“We started a new quarterback this week because we needed to give our offense a shot in the arm.”
The new quarterback, eighth-grader Benji Yarbrough, impressed Woodard with his management of the offense.
“I thought he did a good job with our offense,” Woodard said.
Running back Junior Ward scored Clinton’s lone touchdown, with Heriderito Tirado adding the two-point conversion.
On defense, Ty Wright contributed with an interception.
The Hawks will play their annual non-conference game at home on Thursday night, celebrating homecoming as they host Carter Middle School. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Hornets are part of Knoxville’s Middle-School Aged Conference.
They were one of the charter teams in the league, which was founded several years ago to revive middle school football in Knox County.