Football | 9/10/2024 5:42:00 PM

One of the longest rivalries in the Jackson-Metro Area reaches a milestone game at Arrow Field on the campus of Clinton High School (CHS) this week.

The CHS and Brandon High School Football teams are set for the 80th all-time meeting at 7 p.m. on Friday night. This game marks the halfway point of the stretch of non-region opponents.

For the Arrows, it is not so much the opponent and game's gravity but rather the importance of becoming a better version of themselves. Clinton suffered 13 penalties for 128 yards and three turnovers in a 35-34 loss to Northwest Rankin High School last Friday. Though the Arrows had many positives, such as over 300 yards of offensive, the cons outweighed them and resulted in a heartbreaking defeat. 

"The things that we have done this week is for us to be the best version of us," Clinton Head Football Coach John Carr said. "It is not so much Brandon, but we have to correct the mistakes we have made. If we don't do that, we won't beat anybody. Regardless of our opponent, we have to concentrate every week getting better ourselves."

The Arrows and the Bulldogs played their first-ever game in 1940. Clinton leads the all-time series 42-36-1 in the previous 79 match-ups. 

SPECIAL TEAMS SHINE IN OPENING GAMES

Special teams is the third of the game that some times spends the least of amount of time on the field. However, the unit's impact can be felt the most in critical situations.

The Clinton High School Football team's field-goal block and punt-return units have played a key factor in the opening two games of the season.

"We have made a big effort in practice to handle those situations," Carr said. "I thought Mark Hoskins has given a good job with inside guys to make them realize that a field goal is not a play off, but it is an opportunity to make a difference in the ball game. Credit to those guys for playing hard and not taking a play off.

"Same thing on punt, it is about field position all the time," Carr added. "It is facts that anytime a punter knows that he got people are coming after him, the punter will have tendancy to rush to get the kick off. Our guys on those two units have done a good job of forcing fast kicks or blocks."

The first week of the season saw the punt-block unit come up with a big play against Warren Central High School. Out of halftime, the Arrows broke through the special-team line and blocked the punt. The blocked football rolled to the 5-yard line, and Ashton Nichols recovered it, finding the end zone untouched. The blocked punt and Nichols' consequential touchdown was the game-deciding points of the 26-20 win. 

In the second week of the season, the field-goal-block unit came up big. Facing a pivotal Northwest Rankin field goal, Clinton broke through the line. Freshman Adam Alexander led the rush as he got his body in front of the Cougars' kick. The block led to a 46-yard touchdown pass the very next play, giving the Arrows a 34-25 advantage.

ARROWS RECOGNIZED

Josef Walker, Jaden Johnson, and Jakobe Williams were recognized by the periodical 'Mississippi Gridiron' as top performers from last Friday's game against Northwest Rankin.

Walker was 23-of-29 passing for 271 yards and two touchdowns. The junior quarterback ran 16 times for 68 yards.

Johnson collected 10 passes for 137 yards and one touchdown. His longest catch was the aforementioned 46-yarder from Walker.

Williams scored three, first-half touchdowns, helping the Arrows push for its 20-12 halftime advantage against the Cougars. The senior running back had 16 touches for 56 yards. His longest carry was 20 yards.

FAN INFORMATION

The Clinton-Brandon game will be video broadcast with play-by-play commentary on Hudl TV. Hudl TV can be accessed on an internet browser or the Hudl Fan App on any smart television (the best method for Hudl TV). Clinton Athletics will have a simultaneous radio broadcast on WJNT 1180 AM/96.9 FM.

To purchase tickets, fans can follow this LINK to GoFan in order to pre-purchase their tickets and avoid the lines. Tickets are $10 apiece. If fans elect to forgo GoFan, Clinton Athletics accepts cash at the ticket gate.