Dragons fall to West Rebels 37-3 despite strong defensive effort
Clinton’s Will’Quis Young looks for open space after a catch during the Dragons’ Friday night matchup against the Knox West Rebels. Young had five catches for 20 yards. The Dragons lost 37-3. (photo:Dwayne Wilder )
Antwain Burdine, of the two-time defending Class 5A champions, returned both a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns, and also added an interception as the Rebels extended their win streak in the series to 12 games since Clinton’s last victory in 2002.
The loss marked Clinton’s second defeat of the season, following the team’s opener against Class 6A Cleveland.
The Dragons (0-2) did find some success, with Emanuel Ortiz kicking the first Clinton field goal since 2020. That last field goal came in a 42-3 loss to West, which was also the last time the Dragons were held to just three points in a game.
Clinton’s defense made several key plays, including fumble recoveries by Donnie Humphrey and Ryker Armes.
Junior linebacker Armes also forced a fumble, recorded a sack, and blocked an extra point.
“West is a good football team year in and year out; they’re back-to-back defending state champs for a reason,” said Clinton Coach Jason Hamock.
“We have a tough schedule, but the biggest thing we’re trying to teach these kids right now is just to fight, don’t quit. We preach it every day.
“They’re still a young group,” he said. “They’re still coming together. We’re replacing 18 starters. It takes some time for these kids to gel. I’ve said it a million times: give us some time.
“We just played two Top 10 teams in the state in 6A and 5A,” the coach said. “I still feel like we’re going to be just fine.”
Clinton was limited to 114 yards of total offense, while West (1-1) racked up 260 yards. Dragon quarterback Jaylon Benjamin completed 11 of 29 passes for 85 yards, and threw two interceptions.
Clinton’s Will’Quis Young had five catches for 20 yards, while Bryson Maddox added four receptions for 65 yards.
Clinton punted seven times, with two punts blocked.
West rushed 33 times for 232 yards.
“I told those guys, “you look down at the scoreboard tonight, and I said, ‘I know it hurts. They’ve got some great athletes, but here’s what I want you to realize, guys: you are just as good as they are. We’re just not there yet. If you don’t like seeing that on our scoreboard right now, taking a 37-3 loss, you’re going to be giving those out later in the year,’” Hamock said
The Dragons received the opening kickoff and achieved one first down before Burdine intercepted the ball at the Clinton 37-yard line on the sixth play.
The Rebels advanced to the Clinton 15 before Armes blindsided quarterback Parker Dubon, forcing a fumble recovered by Humphrey.
Neely blocked Blane Collins’ first punt, with West teammate Jack Keith recovering the ball at the Clinton 25. On the Rebels’ first play, Tavion Ray ran 21 yards before being hit by Bo Wright and fumbling at the 3-yard line, where Armes recovered for the Dragons.
West broke the scoreless tie when Mesijah Wrenn ran for a touchdown on fourth-and-3 from the Clinton 25, with Pete Rogers kicking the extra point for a 7-0 lead with 3:20 left in the first quarter. Neely blocked Collins’ next punt, leading to a 40-yard field goal by Rogers, putting West up 10-0.
Three plays later, Collins punted to Burdine, who returned it 44 yards for a touchdown, extending West’s lead to 17-0 with 42.7 seconds left in the first quarter.
Maddox caught a 14-yard pass from Benjamin on the first play of the second quarter, and Clinton moved the ball into West territory before the drive stalled at the 10. Ortiz’s 27-yard field goal with 7:53 remaining in the half cut the deficit to 17-3.
However, Burdine returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, giving West a 24-3 lead. Anterius McAllister intercepted Benjamin on Clinton’s third play after the kickoff, and Wrenn scored five plays later on a 22-yard run to extend the lead to 31-3.
West added another touchdown before halftime on a 1-yard run by Kelin Rucker, although Armes blocked the extra point, leaving the score at 37-3.
“I challenged them at halftime. I said, ‘Guys, go out and win the second half. We didn’t win it, but we didn’t lose it. We kept the great effort,’” Hamock said.
The second half, played with a running clock, saw little action as both teams focused on defense. Clinton’s Jaxon Herrell made a tackle for a 4-yard loss, leading to West’s only punt of the game.
Clinton will host Scott (0-2) this Friday in their home opener.
“We get to go back home next week, and that’s big for a young group to get a little familiarity... they’ve got their family there and all their buddies cheering them on,” Hamock said.