Heartbreaker
Clinton falls just short in loss to Lenior City
Clinton’s Bryson Maddox (7) had four receptions, for 94 yards, against Lenior City on Friday night. Maddox is currently the state’s leading receiver. (photo:Dwayne Wilder )
The outcome remained in doubt until Emanuel Ortiz’s 35-yard field goal attempt for Clinton fell short as time expired.
“I don’t know what to say; I’m heartbroken for my kids,” Clinton Coach Jason Hamock said after the game.
The game saw 21 combined penalties, including a rare “helping-the-runner” flag on each team. However, it was a pair of no-calls — a possible defensive pass interference on Lenoir City and a targeting hit that knocked Clinton receiver Bryson Maddox out of the game — that left Clinton coaches and fans upset.
Hamock, who typically refrains from criticizing officiating, shared his frustration.
“I don’t ever use that,” he said. “I’ve never said it in 24 years of coaching, but tonight was the first night I’ve ever even come close to getting kicked out of a game or even flagged.”
Clinton (2-6, 1-2) outgained Lenoir City 253 yards to 207.
The Panthers (5-2, 2-0) had the edge on the ground, rushing 41 times for 161 yards and a touchdown, while the Dragons had 15 carries for 72 yards.
Clinton quarterback Jaylon Benjamin completed 18 of 32 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted twice. Aalijah Davidson led the Dragons’ ground game with 11 attempts for 67 yards.
Maddox, the state’s leading receiver, caught four passes for 94 yards. Ryker Armes led Clinton receivers with seven catches for 36 yards and a touchdown, and he also threw a 30-yard pass.
Clinton’s Bo Wright, who leads the state in tackles, added 22 more to his total, including 13 solo tackles and two tackles for loss.
Armes collected eight tackles and recovered a fumble. Jaxon Herrell and Ryin Jones each had eight tackles, with Herrell forcing a fumble and Jones recovering one. Travian Bounds had seven tackles, broke up a pass, and forced a fumble, while Davidson recorded the game’s only quarterback sack.
Clinton fumbled the opening kickoff, and Lenoir City’s Darius Bass recovered at the Dragon 34-yard line. The Panthers soon fumbled the snap on a 42-yard field goal attempt, with Jones tackling holder Jaxon Utter to end the play.
After a Clinton punt, Lenoir City marched 79 yards in 13 plays, taking 9 minutes and 12 seconds off the clock. Quarterback Luke Chadwick connected with Channing McCord for a 22-yard touchdown pass, and Gabe Cannon ran in the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead with 8:34 left in the second quarter. Lenoir City overcame four false-start penalties during the drive.
Clinton responded with a 69-yard scoring drive in eight plays, highlighted by a 54-yard pass from Benjamin to Maddox.
Armes caught a 12-yard touchdown pass three plays later, but the Dragons’ two-point conversion run was unsuccessful, leaving the score 8-6 with 5:16 left in the half. Benjamin appeared to score on a 6-yard run earlier in the drive, but Clinton was penalized for “helping the runner.”
Clinton’s Armes recovered a fumble forced by Bounds on the next Lenoir City play, giving the Dragons possession at the Panther 38-yard line. But the drive ended with an interception in the end zone by Lenoir City’s Eddy Soto.
Lenoir City opened the second half with a 13-play, 66-yard drive, capped by an 18-yard touchdown run by Soto. Joshua Phillips kicked the extra point, giving the Panthers a 15-6 lead at 4:03 in the third.
A 52-yard pass from Benjamin to Davidson to put the ball inside the Lenoir City 5-yard line was nullified by an ineligible-receiver-downfield penalty on Clinton.
The Dragons struck back early in the fourth quarter when Benjamin found Wright for an 11-yard touchdown pass. Benjamin connected with Maddox for the two-point conversion, making it 15-14 with 10:53 left.
Clinton’s defense forced a punt, and the Dragons advanced to the Lenoir City 16-yard line before Cannon intercepted Benjamin’s pass. The Panthers fumbled moments later, with Austyn Phillips forcing the ball loose and Jones recovering it.
Clinton was unable to get a first down on its next drive, and on a fourth-and-22 pass to Armes, it appeared Lenoir City committed pass interference, but no call was made.
After forcing a punt, Clinton took over at its own 35-yard line with 26.5 seconds remaining.
A 27-yard pass from Benjamin to Braylen Hayden, along with a roughing-the-passer penalty, moved the ball to the Lenoir City 23.
Davidson ran the ball for 5 yards before Benjamin spiked the ball to stop the clock with 5.8 seconds remaining, setting up Ortiz’s missed field goal.
“We challenged them at halftime to come out and fight and never give up, which they’ve done all year,” Hamock said. “We’ve had a hard time in the second half throughout the year, being a young crew.
“But this week, they took it to another level,” Hamock said. “They fought and fought and fought. They literally never gave up.”
Clinton has a bye this week before playing its final region game on Oct. 25 at Karns.