Walnut Grove High School and Clarke Central High School varsity football players go helmet to helmet during a defensive play on Oct. 8 in the Billy Henderson Stadium. This was the Gladiator’s sixth game of the season, which resulted in a win. “We did play well,” CCHS head varsity football coach David Perno said. “Defense did a tremendous job (with) three turnovers and one pick-six. They created all kinds of good opportunities for us tonight. We are a little sluggish on the offense but they did enough.” Photo by Lucas Donnelly.
The CCHS varsity football team won against Walnut Grove High School on Oct. 8, their fourth win of the regular season.
The Clarke Central High School varsity football team played against Walnut Grove High School for their annual homecoming game in Billy Henderson Stadium on Oct. 8.
After winning its previous three games, the Gladiators continued its winning streak with a final score of 40-7 for its sixth game of the season.
The team pulled ahead after wide receiver Antonio Jewell Jr., a senior, ran the ball to the 22-yard line, allowing the team’s kicker sophomore Cooper Evans to kick a field goal and establish an early lead of 3-0.
Following the field goal, Evans kicked off the ball. WGHS soon fumbled, giving possession back to CCHS. Junior running back Jadayvion Adkins broke through to the end zone, bringing the score to 9-0. Evans made the extra-point kick to bring the score to 10-0, pushing the Gladiators’ lead.
At the end of the first quarter, Jewell ran the ball to the endzone to make the score 17-0. CCHS varsity football assistant coach Joshua Dawson was pleased with the end of the first quarter, but knew the team needed to remain humble.
“I was excited about how we were playing but did not want to get comfortable or complacent because the game was far from being over,” Dawson said.
WGHS got through the Gladiator’s defense and scored a touchdown in the second quarter, narrowing the Gladiators’ lead to 17-7. Following this score, CCHS’s defense tightened up..
“Walnut Grove is a good team with good athletes, so I knew it was possible they could get in the end zone. I just wanted us to make the correct adjustments and keep playing hard (after their touchdown),” Dawson said.
Following Walnut Grove’s touchdown, Evans kicked another field goal, taking the Gladiators’ lead to 20-7. Quarterback Lucian Anderson, III, a junior, then carried the ball into score a touchdown. Evans then converted the extra point kick to end the quarter with 27-7.
Early into the third quarter free safety Bilal Jones, a senior, made a touchdown, increasing the Glad’s lead to 34-7.
Coming into the last quarter, wide receiver Nehemiah Jones, a sophomore, scored from the 50-yard line, ending the game with a score of 40-7. Head varsity football coach David Perno expects big things out of the sophomore.
“(Jones is) gonna be fun to watch for the next three years. He shot out of a cannon. He outran everybody. He’s capable of that, and he’s a sophomore (and) he’s bright,” Perno said. “He’s just a great teammate, great practice player and I’m glad he got rewarded tonight.”
Now with a four-game winning streak, Perno is looking forward to a week of training before CCHS’s next game against Greenbrier High School on Oct. 15.
“We felt like (CCHS) can be elite, and they showed it in back-to-back weeks. If possible, (we want to) be first in the region championship. Hopefully we’ll get a good week of practice before the next game and we are ready to win,” Perno said.
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