Clinton falls to No. 3 Powell in rivalry game

September 25, 2024 by Dan McWilliams Special to The Courier News

The Clinton High School football team showed a brief spark after a first-half quarterback change, but the visiting Powell Panthers still coasted to a 48-8 victory Friday.

The non-region game between the longtime rivals was held on homecoming night at City of Clinton Stadium. Powell, ranked No. 3 by the Associated Press in Class 5A, improved to 4-1 with the win, while Clinton fell to 2-3.

The Panthers are the third ranked team Clinton has played in 2024.

“It’s a tough schedule, but we’re not going to use the schedule as an excuse,” said Clinton Coach Jason Hamock.

“That’s the hand we’re dealt, and we’re going to just fight,” he said.

The Panthers rushed for 235 yards and outgained Clinton 407-69 yards overall.

Connor Wheeler led the Powell ground game with 98 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, all in the first half.

Panther quarterback Deuce Rodgers went 12-for-17 passing for 166 yards and two TDs, and rushed for another score. Powell didn’t really hurt itself with its 14 penalties for 145 yards.

Camden Nelson relieved Clinton starting quarterback Jaylon Benjamin in the second quarter and led the Dragons to their only touchdown.

Nelson finished 7-for-12 passing for 49 yards, with a TD and two interceptions.

“We couldn’t connect, just couldn’t execute early,” Hamock said. “I felt like they punched us in the mouth first, and we kind of sat back and took it for a while. It took us too long to wake up.

“We made a change at quarterback; it’s one of those things that when it gets like that, I want to try something else,” he said. “Everybody has off nights, not that Jaylon was doing anything wrong. We just weren’t executing.

“Sometimes you’ve just got to switch it up, plus it’s a non-region game — I don’t want to take a chance on getting somebody hurt. We need our guys —we’re so young, and we need to take care of everybody.”

Clinton’s leading receiver, Bryson Maddox, was held to one catch, late in the game, for 10 yards. Braylen Hayden led the Dragons with two catches for 27 yards.

Bo Wright paced the Dragon defense with 16 total hits, including eight unassisted tackles, with two sacks for 14 yards, four tackles for loss overall for 25 yards, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup.

Ryker Armes added 12 total hits, and Maddox had seven. Jaxon Herrell made six unassisted tackles.

Clinton went three-and-out and punted on the game’s first possession.

Powell took over at the Dragon 42 and scored in four plays.

Wheeler ran twice for 21 yards before Rodgers went off left end for a 3-yard TD at the 9:30 mark of the first quarter. The Panthers took an 8-0 lead on Fabby Neiwoh’s two-point run.

The Dragons had another three-play series and punted, with Blane Collins having his best boot of the night with a 42-yarder.

The Panthers, however, scored again, going 68 yards in seven plays.

Rodgers hit Westin Williams on a short pass that went for a 33-yard gain, with Wheeler scoring on a 4-yard run.

Rodgers passed to Adam Weaver for the conversion and a 16-0 lead with 6:24 to go in the period.

Stooksbury kicked the first of his four touchbacks, and the Dragons punted after three plays.

The teams traded punts before Powell scored again.

Wheeler made runs of 12 and 19 yards to set up first-and-goal, and Neiwoh scored on a 1-yard jaunt on fourth down. Stooksbury’s kick gave the visitors a 23-0 lead with 10:37 remaining in the half.

Clinton punted for the fifth time, and Powell scored immediately.

Wright nearly sacked Rodgers, but he made a short pass that DeZion Jackson took 49 yards to the house. Stooksbury’s extra point put Powell up 30-0 with 9:10 showing.

Nelson entered the game at that point for Clinton, and the Dragons finally recorded their initial first downs on a pair of Powell personal fouls.

Nelson led an 80-yard drive in 11 plays, throwing an interception that was nullified by a roughing-the-passer penalty on the Panthers.

Helped by a fourth penalty against Powell on the series, Nelson eventually hit a wide-open Armes in the left side of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown. Nelson ran in the two-point conversion to make it a 30-8 game with 4:07 to go in the half.

Clinton’s Tre Hall walloped Jackson for a 1-yard loss on a reception on the next Powell series.

Wright sacked Rodgers for a 6-yard loss, but the Panthers ran off 12 plays capped by a 39-yard Stooksbury field goal with 23.3 seconds left that gave Powell a 33-8 lead going into the break.

“I challenged them at halftime to come out and fight, just don’t stop,” Hamock said. “That’s just a life lesson as well. Football and life are going to knock you down almost every day, but you’ve got to get up and fight.”

Wright forced a Rodgers fumble that Konner Riggs recovered on Powell’s first play of the second half, but a sack of Nelson led to the sixth and final Dragon punt.

Powell then ate up nearly seven-and-a-half minutes as it drove 86 yards in 16 plays for another TD. Rodgers, under pressure from Logan Kenner, capped the drive with a 10-yard TD pass to Weaver. Abu Keefer ran for the two-point conversion to give Powell a 41-8 lead with 1:49 left in the third.

Ja’Taalis Henderson intercepted Nelson on the Dragons’ next play and returned it 35 yards.

Backup Powell quarterback Brodie Hollowell led a 10-play scoring drive. Keefer ran for 16 and 22 yards before Hollowell scored on a 4-yard run.

Caleb Lanius kicked the final extra point with 5:25 remaining.

Hayden caught a 23-yard Nelson pass on the Dragons’ final drive, but Demarcus Huffine Jr. intercepted Nelson in the end zone and time ran out.

The Dragons get back into Region 3-5A play this Friday night at another longtime rival in Oak Ridge.