Game coverage: CCHS vs. Oconee County High School varsity football

Clarke Central High School running back Corey Watkins Jr., a junior, stiff arms an Oconee County High School defender during the Gladiators’ 38-31 win over the Warriors. According to CCHS left tackle Nick Paul, a senior, the Gladiator coaching staff emphasized physicality heading into the game, which CCHS head varsity football coach David Perno says helped secure the victory. “There’s no question (that we emphasized toughness). (Oconee) is hard-nosed,” Perno said. “I tip my hat to them. It’s great competition for us early in the season and to come out on top, it’s just huge.” Photo by Ciyana Ramos

The CCHS varsity football team took home their second straight win of the 2023 season in their non-region home game against Oconee County High School on Aug. 25.

The Clarke Central High School varsity football team has accomplished what last year they could not: beat Oconee County High School.

In a back-and-forth, high-scoring affair before large crowds on both sides of Billy Henderson Stadium, the Gladiators pulled out a 38-31 win against their cross-county rivals. The team’s Aug. 25 victory is CCHS’ first against the Warriors since 2019.

“I’m too exhausted to enjoy it,” CCHS head varsity football coach David Perno said. “It just looked like we were in complete control. We came out of the gate in the second half and (went) up three scores, it just looked like we were in great shape. Credit to (OCHS), they got a great team and a great coaching staff. We’re very fortunate (to win).”

The teams traded touchdowns throughout the first half until CCHS broke away with 17 unanswered points either side of halftime, putting them up 31-14 in the third quarter. Both sides exchanged further blows before OCHS scored 10 fourth-quarter points to draw within a touchdown of the Gladiators. However, a last-minute defensive stop saw the Gladiators eke out a victory.

“Watching that (last defensive stand), I was scared, but it was great,” left tackle Nick Paul, a senior, said. “I believed in (the defense) because they held out every time we was doing bad.”

On Oconee County High School’s last offensive play of the game, the Clarke Central High School varsity football team’s defense comes up with a fourth-down stop to seal the Gladiators’ 38-31 victory. According to CCHS left tackle Nick Paul, the Gladiators were driven by pregame predictions that the team would lose. “I feel great about the game. They had predictions we was gonna lose 29-7. That gave us a bit of motivation,” Paul said. “We came out strong, you could see (the extra effort) in the first half.” Photo by Wyatt Meyer

The last OCHS threat came when Warriors quarterback Titus Watkins, a junior, threw a fourth-down incompletion with three seconds remaining that allowed the Gladiators to kneel out the game.

“(Our) defense struggled tonight, but they brought it up in the end,” Watkins said. “(Our) offense couldn’t come up in the end. Clarke (Central) played a great game.”

“(Our offense) was outstanding. I thought (offensive coordinator Damien) Gary called a great game (and) our kids did a great job executing it.”

— David Perno,
CCHS head varsity football coach

The Gladiators have an off week before facing Gainesville High School at Billy Henderson Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 8. The Gladiators lost to GHS last year, but Perno expects the team’s offensive fluidity displayed against OCHS to be the difference against the Red Elephants.

“(Our offense) was outstanding. I thought (offensive coordinator Damien) Gary called a great game (and) our kids did a great job executing it,” Perno said. “We got that lead and (we) got a little protective of it. (We made) common errors and so we got to handle that situation a little better. Hopefully, we’ll be in that situation against Gainesville and we’ll figure out a way to handle it.”

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