Eastern Randolph stuns Clinton

Brilliant sunshine illuminated Dark Horse Stadium Friday evening as Clinton kicked off the NCHSAA 2A State Football playoffs against Eastern Randolph. With COVID restrictions shortening the playoffs and limiting the amount of teams competing, the quality of this year’s teams were sure to be higher. That fact was proven Friday night when the No. 7-seeded Wildcats stunned the undefeated No. 2 Dark Horses in thrilling fashion, winning 42-40 in double overtime.

The Dark Horses won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening possession. After a short kick handled by Elijah Kirby, they set up shop on their own 30-yard line. They moved the ball generally well with their running game in the early going but then picked up some big yardage on a pass completion from Blake Smith to Patrick Morrisey which put the Dark Horses deep into Wildcats territory. It was all for naught, however, as quarterback Blake Smith was sacked later in the drive and lost the ball on a fumble. The Wildcats recovered at their own 30-yard line and were headed the other direction, shutting a Clinton scoring opportunity.

Eastern Randolph’s possession yielded similar results, though, which went three plays before Keasean Williams picked off a Wildcats pass. Williams was tripped up before he could get any kind of return and the Dark Horses were back in business at their own 39-yard line.

A few plays later, Clinton was able to finish what they started on the previous drive with Blake Smith hooking up with Davion “Boogie” Smith on a 28-yard touchdown pass. The booming PAT split the uprights and the Dark Horses had taken a 7-0 lead with 2:19 left in the first quarter.

Eastern Randolph came right back on the ensuing drive and showed that they were undeterred by the turnover and score. Facing the third down, quarterback (get his number) found an open receiver on the left sideline and cashed in on a 70-yard touchdown to return the favor. The Wildcats also converted on the PAT and at the end of quarter number one, the game was tied 7-7.

For large majority of the second quarter the game settled into a defensive back-and-forth grudge match. Punts and turnover-on-downs were frequent occasions as the offenses for both teams struggled to get anything going.

Finally, the Dark Horses took hold of another possession with things winding down and set their sights on the end zone. After chipping away on the ground and short passes, Clinton decided to air it out, which led to Blake Smith finding a pair of receding the end zone. It was Williams who hauled in the score, completing a 32-yard strike for the touchdown. On the PAT, the Wildcats broke through the line and blocked the kick, leaving the score at 13-7 with 1:43 left in the half.

That blocked attempt proved costly for the Dark Horses as Eastern Randolph turned the ball around and quickly set out to again return the favor.

Sure enough, after a couple of late big pass plays, the Wildcats found the end zone just before the half. Their PAT gained altitude and split the uprights, giving Eastern Randolph the lead at 14-13 at halftime.

Out of the break, the Wildcats took possession of opening kickoff and started their first drive of the half on their own 34-yard line. They went right to work and quickly got into Clinton territory but the drive stalled near the 40-yard line and they were forced to punt.

After the punt, the Dark Horses found themselves lined up deep in their own territory at their 7-yard line. After moving the ball a few yards, the drive pas put in reverse after a procedure penalty and a sack. With that, Clinton was forced to punt the ball from just outside their own goal line which proved to be a short kick, and gave Eastern Randolph possession at the Dark Horses 32-yard line.

The Wildcats were unable to capitalize on the short field position and instead were driven back thanks to a holding penalty. As a result, Eastern Randolph punted the ball and it was a beauty that pinned Clinton down on their own 2-yard line with 4:48 left in the third quarter.

The Dark Horses slowed the pace down drastically, relying on several running plays that featured Boogie Smith. On the last play of the quarter, Smith ripped off a near 70-yard play was stopped just shy of the goal line.

With the third quarter completed and the score still 14-13, Clinton called Boogie’s number again and he boogied the remaining seven yards into the end zone to give the Horses the lead back. Clinton opted for a 2-point try, which was ultimately stuffed, but with 11:53 left in the game, the Dark Horses were back on top 19-14.

On Eastern Randolph’s ensuing the drive, Clinton’s defense stiffened and stepped up. For the first time all game, the Dark Horses kept the Wildcats from answering a score, forcing a punt to give possession back to Clinton. After the Wildcats punt, the Dark Horse offense was back on the field with 9:37 left in the game.

Clearly aiming to eat up some clock, Clinton put the ball on the ground and fed the Smiths. With 7:33 left, it was Boogie who rumbled 48 yards, bouncing off defenders and turning them aside for another touchdown. The 2-point try from Smith to Williams was good and the Dark Horses extended their lead to 27-14.

Calamity struck on the ensuing drive that yielded a pair of ejections. After moving the ball briskly down the field and into a scoring the threat, the Wildcats quarterback absorbed a sack for a big loss. He came up swinging the ball right at the head of Clinton’s Carter King. The result was a small melee and coaches trying to control what could’ve been an otherwise chaotic and disastrous situation. After several flags flew and things settled, the Eastern Randolph quarterback, along with King, were ejected from the game.

A few plays later, the Wildcats capitalized on several big running plays and found the end zone. Their PAT was through and with 5:38 left, Eastern Randolph was back to within 27-21.

The next Clinton drive was ended quickly and Eastern Randolph’s offense was back on the field at their own 42-yard line with 3:15 left in the game.

A couple players later, the Wildcats connected on a big pass play that set them up at the Clinton 6-yard line. Two plays later, they were in on a hard run up the middle and the score was tied at 27-27. Lined up for the go-ahead PAT, the Wildcats snapped the ball but the kick attempt was blocked, leaving the score tied at 27-27 with 1:24 left in the game.

The Dark Horses ensuing drive showed some promise after Boogie Smith barreled his way into Wildcats territory. They got down to inside the Eastern Randolph 40-yard line, but their drive stalled there.

The Wildcats took over with about 30 seconds left but were unable to make anything, forcing overtime.

The high school overtime rules give each team possession with first and goal from the 10-yard line.

After the discussions and coin toss at midfield, Clinton was awarded the first try. After a trio of empty plays, the Dark Horses pulled some trickery and on a double-reverse and completed pass that Spencer Westerbeek hauls in. The PAT was good and Clinton lead 34-27 with possession going to Eastern Randolph

It took just two run plays for the Wildcats to strike, converting on a hard run on the right side. Their PAT was also good, tying things right back up at 34-34 to force a second overtime.

This time, it was Eastern Randolph with the first possession and again they found the end zone, on a other run right up the middle. On the point after attempt, Clinton committed an infraction that moved the ball half the distance to the goal. This lead the Panthers to opt for a 2-point conversion, which was also converted to push their lead to 42-34 with Clinton having one final shot.

It took the Horses just two plays for Boogie Smith to find pay dirt once more, bringing the tally back to 42-40 with Clinton needing to convert a 2-point try of their own.

After a timeout to draw up a play, the Dark Horses ran what looked to be a designed pass play with Blake Smith scrambling in the pocket. He jumped to his feet, looking to make a check down pass into the end zone, but no one was there. This led to Smith taking off to his left side, and cutting toward the end zone. He had some room to work with, but his opening slammed shut as the Eastern Randolph defense closed in and hurled the quarterback away from the goal line just inches short.

And that was it. The Wildcats defense had stopped the game-tying efforts as their players and fans erupted in celebration.

With that, the game was concluded as Eastern Randolph emerged victorious at 42-40. They advance to next week’s second round game at North Eastern.

For Clinton, their first loss of the season is a tough one as it yields the end of the season. They finish at 7-1 overall.

In his his postgame comments, head coach Cory Johnson kept it short, saying; “Hats off to Coach Burton, he had those jokers ready to play. They did a great job, man, they did a great job. My kids played hard tonight, the game just didn’t go our way. Hats off to them, it was a great season.”