Football | 9/7/2024 1:50:00 AM
FLOWOOD -- The Clinton High School Football team made an effort to win the game late against Northwest Rankin High School but fell short on Friday night.
Northwest Rankin kicked the game-winning, 22-yard field goal with 4:48 remaining in the game, and the Cougar defense halted the Arrows' final two possessions with interceptions to clinch a 35-34 win at Cougar Stadium.
"Penalties, poor tackling, and turnovers, that's the three things that jump out without watching film," Head Football Coach John Carr said. "We didn't wrap up and tackle very well. They imposed their will and made plays when they needed to. Hats off to (Northwest Rankin). We have to do a better job of keeping our composure, some unnecessary penalties, that we kept some drives alive for them. Against good football teams, you can't give people opportunities to keep taking advantage without you doing anything about it."
Clinton (1-1) had a final opportunity to win the ball game after the defense forced the Cougars to punt. Obtaining possession at their 19-yard line with 3:31 remaining,
Josef Walker went 5 out of 6 passing to get the Arrows to the Cougar 42-yard line. Two plays later, Walker scrambled from the pocket for a 10-yard gain and took an egregious helmet-to-helmet hit that drew a penalty flag, moving Clinton to the 17-yard line. However, the comeback drive fell short when Northwest Rankin intercepted Walker's final pass of the night three plays later.
Jakobe Williams scored three rushing touchdowns in the first half. Williams opened the game's scoring with a 24-yard run, and
Braylon Spann added his first of four extra-point field goals, giving the Arrows an early 7-0 lead. Then, trailing 9-7 in the second quarter, Williams and the Arrow offense rattled off a 13-point rally. Williams capped two scoring drives with runs of 1 and 5 yards, leading the Arrows to a 20-12 halftime advantage.
"Jakobe ran the ball hard," Carr said. "We weren't moving (their defensive line) in the second half as much as we did in the first half."
Clinton opened the second half with a touchdown drive, spanning 12 plays and 65 yards. Walker capped the drive when he passed to
Erich Johnson, who was running a tunnel screen. Johnson then slipped a Cougar tackler and raced into the end zone for six. The Arrows led 27-12 in the third.
As Northwest Rankin (1-1) whittled away at the Arrows' second-half advantage, gettting within two points, the Clinton special teams unit blocked the home team's 48-yard field goal, and the very next play Walker connected with
Jaden Johnson, who was running a post route, for a 46-yard touchdown. The Arrows took a 34-25 lead on the strike, but the nine-point lead did not last long as Northwest Rankin answered with a touchdown drive and added an extra-point field goal with 9:19 left in the game.
"We will go back to work, and I know our guys will be excited about their first home ball game," Carr said.
THE STATS
Clinton's offense ran 73 plays for 413 total yards. The Arrows collected 26 first downs and possessed the football for 26 minutes, one second.
The Arrows' offense ran 44 times for 142 yards and was led by Walker's 16 attempts for 68 yards. Williams ran 16 times for 56 yards, and
Aaric Beasley rushed nine times for 11 yards.
Walker was 23-of-29 passing for 271 yards for two touchdowns and three interceptions. Johnson led the receiving corp with 10 catches for 137 yards and his 46-yard touchdown. Johnson had five receptions for 66 yards and a score.
Jaydann Hollins had four catches for 35 yards, and
Phillip Burchfield had three catches for 23 yards.
Defensively, the Arrows were led by Freshman linebacker
Adam Alexander with his 10 tackles, nine solos and one assisted. Donovan Shaffer had nine total tackles, Chad Holliday had seven solo tackles, and
Jaiden Jefferson corralled seven total tackles.
Clinton and Northwest Rankin combined for 27 penalties, racking up 248 negative yards. The Arrows had 13 of the 27 penalties for 128 yards.
UP NEXT
Clinton returns to the friendly confines of Arrow Field for the home opener next Friday night. The Arrows square off against the Brandon High School Bulldogs (2-0) in the 80th edition of the Jackson-Metro Area's oldest high school rivalry. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs won the last meeting in the 2023 season at Brandon, 31-10.
