Clarke Central High School varsity wide receiver Jairus “Nono” Mack, a senior, dodges Cedar Shoals High School varsity middle linebacker Jadarreian Edwards and Toby Bolton, both sophomores, at the 54th Classic City Championship on Sept. 5. The Gladiators won 10-3 at CSHS’ Waters-Wilkins Stadium. “A win is a win, I’m not going to complain when you beat your rival. And it’s much better to be able to fix the mistakes and learn coming off a win than it is coming off a loss,” CCHS head football coach David Perno said. Photo by Luna Reichert
The Clarke Central High School Gladiators emerged victorious against their cross-town rival, the Cedar Shoals High School Jaguars, at the 54th Classic City Championship game, which was hosted at Waters-Wilkins Stadium on Sept. 5.
The first quarter was uneventful, with both teams making strong drives but neither able to score.
CCHS head football coach David Perno was disappointed in the Gladiators’ struggle to follow up on their drives in the endzone but was optimistic the team would improve.
“We just gotta take better care of the ball. You get a big play, we gotta punt –we get the ball, we can’t score. We just got a lot of things we’ve got to iron out. We’re gonna get better,” Perno said.
The first quarter ended with a series of handoffs to CSHS running back/wide receiver Jerdavian Colbert and running back Caleb Allens, both juniors, bringing the Jaguars to the Gladiators’ 43 yard-line.
The Jaguars retained possession of the ball to begin the second quarter. On third and nine, CSHS quarterback Mandrell Glenn, a sophomore, threw an incomplete pass to wide receiver William Moye, a freshman. A flag was called on the play, a personal foul on CCHS, awarding the Jaguars a first down on the Gladiators’ 28 yard-line.
After being pushed back two yards, Glenn completed another pass to Colbert, who ran the ball to the Gladiators’ five-yard line. Following a series of fruitless short runs by Colbert, CSHS kicker William Fang kicked a 30-yard field goal, putting the first points on the scoreboard – pushing CSHS up 3-0.
The Gladiators responded with a strong drive. Thanks to a pass to tight end Rio Foster, a senior, runs from running back Will Richardson and a shorter pass to wide receiver Antonio Jewell, both juniors, the Gladiators were within striking distance of the end zone. On fourth and goal, with the ball on the six-yard line, CCHS quarterback Will Robinson, a senior, attempted an unsuccessful run for the end zone.
The Gladiators’ defense was able to effectively shut down the Jaguars’ next drive and blocked their punt. The ball was recovered by CCHS strong safety Jaavan Mack, a senior, at the Jaguars’ 22-yard line.
The Gladiators’ luck was short-lived. Three plays later, CSHS cornerback Renardo Faust, II, a junior, intercepted a pass from Robinson. The resulting Jaguars’ drive ended around midfield, as the first half came to a close.
The Gladiators kicked off to the Jaguars to start the third quarter, resulting in a dead drive.
The bulk of the third quarter was similar to the first, with a few long drives for both teams, but neither team able to score. However, near the end of the third quarter, Robinson passed to wide receiver Jairus Mack, a senior, bringing the ball from the Gladiators’ 35-yard line to the Jaguars’ 22nd.
The Gladiators drove the ball forward until fourth down. With six yards to the end zone, they opted for a quarterback keeper that came up fruitless, turning the ball back over to the Jaguars.
In the next play, the Gladiators recovered a fumbled ball from the Jaguars, giving them possession at the 21-yard line. Thanks to a 16-yard run from Robinson, the Gladiators made it to the Jaguars’ five-yard line on first and goal.
As the fourth quarter began, the Gladiators inched toward the end zone through a series of runs by Richardson, ending up on fourth and goal on with three-yard line. CCHS kicker Walker Bradberry converted a 20-yard field goal, tying the score at 3-3.
After retaking the ball, the Jaguars completed a 20-yard pass to Allen and a series of successful runs from Colbert, bringing them to the Gladiators’six-yard line.
The Jaguars’ kicker, Will Fang, notched a field goal from the 20, but an offsides penalty on the Jaguars forced a replay. Fang missed the second kick from the 25, keeping the game in a deadlock.
On the Gladiators’ next drive, Robinson threw a 40-yard pass to Jairus Mack from the Gladiators’ 25. Mack raced down the field to the Jaguars’ 15-yard line.
After the Gladiators inched forward, Richardson ran the ball 10 yards up the middle into the end zone, scoring the first and only touchdown of the game with under five minutes left on the clock, bringing the score to 10-3 CCHS after a successful PAT from Bradberry.
Richardson was glad to score a touchdown after so many close calls throughout the game.
“I feel great, I was trying to get that touchdown the whole game,” Richardson said. “(I feel) good, (we) did what we supposed to do, got that dub, (but) we gotta focus on the next game, get that practice. Gotta lock in that practice – put in that dub against Oconee.”
After a few dead drives on both sides, the Gladiators took over possession with seconds left on the clock. Robinson took a knee, and the game ended 10-3, CCHS.
Perno saw room for improvement moving forward.
“Our quarterbacks just gotta make better decisions. We run a complex offense and you gotta read what’s out there and they panicked a couple of times and made a couple of huge mistakes that really turned the game around,” Perno said. “We didn’t make a ton of them, we didn’t make as many as (CSHS), the timing of them were atrocious. So that really set us back.”
While there is room for improvement, Perno was pleased with the outcome.
“A win is a win, I’m not going to complain when you beat your rival. And it’s much better to be able to fix the mistakes and learn coming off a win than it is coming off a loss,” Perno said.
