Hawks end Cherokee’s seven-year win streak
Clinton Middle School made quite an entrance into its new conference Thursday night.
The Hawks opened the 2026 season by knocking off Cherokee 44-38 at Dragon Stadium, ending the Yellow Jackets’ seven-year unbeaten run.
“This was a very big win for us,” Clinton Coach Eric Woodard said. “We played well on both the offensive and defensive lines. The offensive and defensive lines were absolutely tremendous.”
Clinton played Lake City at Anderson County High School on Tuesday night. Results were not available at press time.
Against the Yellow Jackets, the Hawks struck first on special teams when Christian Frazier returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown, giving Clinton a 6-0 lead with 2 minutes, 35 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Cherokee answered a short time later when Adon Cavin scored on a touchdown run. Luke Stinnett added the two-point conversion to give the Yellow Jackets an 8-6 lead they carried into the second quarter.
Cherokee extended its advantage to 14-6 on a touchdown run by Stinnett early in the second quarter before Clinton answered on a 2-yard touchdown plunge by quarterback Westin Glandon.
Glandon then connected with Kooper Bayliss for the two-point conversion, knotting the game at 14.
The teams exchanged touchdowns late in the quarter, and Clinton tied the game at 22 on the final play before halftime when Glandon connected with Bayliss on a 55-yard scoring strike. The Hawks added the two-point conversion to send the game to halftime deadlocked.
After the break, Glandon took over scoring three rushing touchdowns in the second half, including an electrifying 86-yard run late in the third quarter.
Clinton added the two-point conversion to take a 30-22 lead into the final period after the Hawks’ defense kept Cherokee off the scoreboard throughout the third quarter.
After Cherokee tied the game, Glandon scored from 1 yard out to give Clinton a 36-30 lead with 7:31 remaining.
The Yellow Jackets responded and surged ahead 38-36, setting the stage for one final answer from Glandon.
The Clinton quarterback delivered.
Glandon scrambled 7 yards for the go-ahead touchdown, giving the Hawks a 42-38 lead. He then rushed for the ensuing two-point conversion to seal Clinton’s 44-38 victory.
The Hawks pulled off the historic win despite possessing the football for just over seven minutes.
“There’s 32 minutes in a middle school football game, and they had the ball for about 25 minutes,” Woodard said. “So we scored on big plays, and that shows how well the offensive line played.
“Reece Adkins, Jaxon Beets, Mason Reynolds, Owen Griffith V and Nathan, those are the offensive line guys that did such an amazing job.”