Football | 9/5/2025 11:05:00 PM
For the Clinton High School Football team's defensive unit, they understood that it would take all 11 players between the gridiron's lines to make it work on Friday night.
That "11 hats on the ball" mentality proved potent all night, especially during the Northwest Rankin Cougars' potential game-tying drive at Arrow Field.
"We can't rely on one man. We need all 11 hats getting to the football," Arrow senior linebacker
Jaiden Jefferson said.
On the game's next to last play,
Davon Merchant forced a fumble out of a scrambling Joseph Phillipson's hands, and Jefferson collected the loose football on a high bounce in Cougar territory, sealing a 19-11 victory for the Arrows in a non-district tilt.
"This is just a very resilient group," Clinton Head Football Coach Hamer Morgan said. "It's just a tough group, and we are going to enjoy this one, but we're going back to work on Sunday.
"That's a senior-laden defensive unit that did a great job of running to the football and being disciplined all night, doing what they're supposed to do," Morgan added about his defensive unit's performance.
Set up by a
Robsen Neblett fumble recovery at Clinton's 49-yard line,
Braylon Spann capped a nine-play, 39-yard drive with his second field goal. Spann's 29-yard field goal extended the Arrows' lead to eight points with one minute, 51 seconds remaining in the game. The senior kicker added a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, placing the Cougars at their 20-yard line.
Christian Cavett and Merchant collected a sack on the drive's second play, but Northwest Rankin converted on fourth-and-six to extend their last possession. However, the front three of
Dallas Johnson, Cavett, and Merchant collapsed the pocket with their blitz and Merchant's brutal tackle made Phillipson cough up the football to an awaiting Jefferson, elating the Arrows with their second win of the season.
"We shut down the outside noise, and we shut Northwest Rankin down on the defensive side," Jefferson said. "We talk about playing physically and with intensity that what we did on the field tonight."
Phillipson scored on a 3-yard carry, and Ethan Campbell's 27-yard field goal cut the Arrows' advantage to 16-11 with eight minutes, 25 seconds remaining in the contest.
TURNOVERS
The game's final fumble was the last of six turnovers that Clinton collected against the Cougars.
Treivon Casnel caged two interceptions during the first half. Casnel's second interception set up Spann's first successful field goal -- a 25-yarder -- that grew Clinton's lead to 16-0, which the hosts took into halftime.
Two takeaways were timely and stopped Northwest Rankin from tying the game.
Donovan Shaifer recovered a fumble and returned the recovery 12 yards, which stopped a Northwest Rankin scoring opportunity inside the red and black's 5-yard line.
Cameron Cornelius picked off Northwest Rankin at the Arrow 16-yard line in the fourth.
"We've had a chip on our shoulder throughout the season," Jefferson said. "I haven't beat Northwest Rankin during my high-school career and got that first win against them tonight. We will enjoy tonight, but we turn our focus to the next game on the schedule."
SECOND-QUARTER SCORING FRENZY
The Arrows built a 16-point advantage in the second period.
Braylon Lowery capped two drives with touchdown runs of 2 and 1 yards.
Clinton's first scoring drive went 84 yards over 10 plays. On the series' third play,
Jayden Jones connected with
Dayson Scott for a 27-yard pass, moving the Arrows to the Cougars' 33-yard line. Lowery added a 16-yard carry to the 2-yard line five plays later and pounded his way across the goal line on the next play.
Following a Northwest Rankin punt, the Arrows marched methodically to pay dirt. The drive lasted 12 plays and amassed 80 yards. Spann tacked on the extra point for a 13-0 lead at the quarter's 2:27 mark.
UP NEXT
Clinton (2-0) continues its non-district slate with its first road trip of the season. The Arrows square off against the Brandon Bulldogs on Friday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m. on the campus of Brandon High School.
