Dragons rally, but fall to Cherokees
Clinton’s Camdyn Wilcox looks to turn the corner and find running room along the sideline during the Dragons’ homecoming matchup against South-Doyle on Friday, Oct. 16. The Dragons battled the visiting Cherokees but came up short in a 33-28 loss. (photo:Tony Cox )
South-Doyle improved to 6-2 with a win on homecoming night in Clinton in the non-region game. The Dragons fell to 3-5.
Joel Crawford scored his first two touchdowns of the season on a pair of Mason Eckerson passes for Clinton.
Eckerson also found Austyn Phillips and Will Young for TDs and finished 10-for-17 passing for 165 yards and four scores.
Manny Ortiz was 4-for-4 on extra points for Clinton and booted his first touchback of the season.
Charlie Turbyville led the Dragon defense with seven solo tackles.
Ayden Faubion, Brenden Hayden, and Phillips made five tackles apiece. Davontae Fortson, Gabe Sanders, Jaxon Alcorn, Turbyville, and Reed White combined for several sacks.
South-Doyle running back Walter Gould carried the ball 27 times for 215 yards and a touchdown. Cherokee quarterback Benson Brang went 17-for-25 through the air for 252 yards and two scores with one interception. Jeremiah Smith caught four of the passes for 112 yards.
Penalties plagued both teams as South-Doyle was flagged 21 times for 204 yards while Clinton committed 11 fouls for 88 yards.
The game began with Hayden tackling Jayden Lindsey for an 8-yard loss on the opening kickoff. The Cherokees then went on a 94-yard scoring drive. Gould recorded a 46-yard run and Cole Jackson notched the TD on a 1-yard carry. Wilson Banegas kicked the extra point to put South-Doyle ahead 7-0.
Clinton answered in three plays as Crawford caught an Eckerson toss tipped at the 8-yard line by Smith to complete a 47-yard touchdown pass. Ortiz’s kick tied the game 7-7.
Lindsey then flipped the momentum by returning the ensuing kickoff 74 yards to the end zone for a 14-7 lead.
A Clinton punt that bounced backward for a loss set up a South-Doyle TD drive. Gould ran for 36 yards on one play and completed the series with a 6-yard scoring jaunt. The extra point hit the crossbar, but the Cherokees led 20-7 with 1:49 to go in the opening quarter.
White tackled Gould to force a turnover on downs, but Clinton gave the ball back on a fumble recovered by Caedyn Colbert. That led to a 37-yard TD pass on a flea-flicker from Brang to Reed Reynolds and a 26-7 South-Doyle lead after a two-point run failed with 5:36 to play in the first half.
The Dragons mounted a 71-yard scoring drive, with Phillips catching a 16-yard TD pass from Eckerson to make it 26-14 with 1:49 on the clock.
South-Doyle would tally again before halftime as Gould’s running and receiving set up Kamariyon Rice for a 6-yard TD pass from Brang with 23.1 seconds remaining for a 33-14 halftime lead.
Clinton opened the third quarter with a 53-yard scoring drive capped by Eckerson’s 25-yard TD pass to Crawford with 9:57 on the clock to pull the Dragons within 33-21.
South-Doyle turned the ball over on downs at the Clinton 36, and the home team marched 64 yards for another TD. Hayden caught a 43-yard Eckerson pass before Young nabbed a 3-yard TD pass with 21 seconds to go in the period.
Hayden picked off a Brang pass and returned it 27 yards to the South-Doyle 42 with 10:15 left in the game, but the Dragons turned the ball over on downs at the Cherokee 5 and the visitors ran out the remaining 8:21.
Clinton returns to Region 2-5A play this Friday at Powell as the Dragons remain alive for a playoff spot.