Dragons deliver 42-22 at home opener

September 9, 2026 by Dan McWilliams

The Clinton Dragons jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead and went on to a 42-22 victory over William Blount on Friday in their home and Region 2-5A opener.

Clinton’s trio of quarterback Mason Eckerson, receiver/running back Will Young, and receiver Austyn Phillips helped the Dragons (1-2, 1-0) outgain the Governors 491 yards to 378.

Eckerson completed eight passes in 15 attempts for 236 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 13 times for a game-high 122 yards and two TDs. Young scored on a 5-yard run and caught five passes for 147 yards and two more tallies.

Phillips recorded three catches for 89 yards and a TD. Manny Ortiz went 6-for-6 on extra-point kicks for the hosts.

Charlie Turbyville led the Dragon defense with 13 tackles. Aiden Campbell added nine stops, and Jaxson Alcorn, Ziyer Oliver, and Torpedo Rodriguez made seven tackles apiece. Phillips recovered his fourth fumble of the season.

The Dragons were stymied by penalties, getting flagged 17 times for 121 yards.

William Blount (0-3, 0-1) ran the ball for much of the game. Josh Lima led the Governors with 16 rushes for 94 yards and a TD.

Quarterback Fisher Newman added 13 carries for 79 yards and a score and went 7-for-15 passing for 107 yards with one interception.

Phillips recovered a Lima fumble on the third play of the game to give Clinton the ball at its own 27-yard line. An illegal-shift penalty nixed a 61-yard TD reception by Phillips, but Young caught a 47-yard Eckerson pass for a score moments later. Ortiz’s kick gave the Dragons a 7-0 lead with 7:35 to play in the first quarter.

Noah Gaylor intercepted Newman at the Dragon 11 after William Blount had driven 71 yards on its second possession. Clinton then moved the ball 89 yards, capped by a 5-yard TD run by Young for a 14-0 lead with 13.3 seconds remaining in the period.

The Governors recovered a batted ball on a Clinton punt return and drove for a 28-yard field goal by Ayden Tyler to cut the Dragon lead to 14-3 with 9:27 to play in the first half.

Isaiah Williams punted the ball 47 yards on Clinton’s next drive, but the visitors marched 65 yards, with Lima’s 3-yard TD run making it a 14-10 game with 3:01 to go in the first half.

The Dragons quickly responded, going 80 yards in seven plays for a TD. Young caught a 25-yard toss from Eckerson to put the Dragons ahead 21-10 with 51.7 seconds on the clock. Reed White sacked Newman for a 10-yard loss on the final play of the half.

Eckerson ran for a 34-yard TD on Clinton’s first possession of the second half to put the home team up 28-10. Young made a tackle on a fourth-and-six play to end the next Governor drive at the Dragon 11.

Clinton then drove 89 yards, helped by two William Blount penalties, with Phillips catching a 53-yard TD pass for a 35-10 advantage with 11:37 remaining in the game.

The Governors scored on an 11-yard run by Newman with 9:16 on the clock. Jaxson Alcorn’s blocked extra point left the score at 35-16.

Oliver recovered an onside kick for Clinton and Brenden Hayden broke up a Governor pass on fourth down with 6:29 left.

Eckerson then ran 29 yards for a TD and a 42-16 lead. Backup quarterback Kaje Sloan scored on a 1-yard run for William Blount with 2:47 to go for the final margin, a two-point-conversion pass falling incomplete.

Clinton visits Karns in another region game in the Rivalry Thursday TV contest this week.