Football | 9/26/2026 1:55:00 AM

CLINTON -- The Clinton High School football team mounted a second-half comeback but fell short in its upset bid against Petal on Homecoming night at Arrow Field on the campus of Clinton High School.

The Arrows trailed 21-7 at halftime and pulled within seven points twice in the second half before the Panthers pulled away late in the fourth quarter.

Acely Brown opened the scoring with a 6-yard touchdown run at the 10:01 mark of the first quarter, giving Petal a 7-0 advantage. Petal doubled its advantage when Chavez Walker scored on a 1-yard touchdown run.

Boskey Evans answered for Clinton in the second quarter, scoring a 9-yard touchdown run before Brayden Gough converted the first of his four successful extra-point attempts.

Petal regained its two-touchdown advantage with 49 seconds remaining in the half when Caiden Belton connected with Eli Grant for a 53-yard touchdown, sending the Panthers into halftime with a 21-7 lead.

Brown added a 25-yard touchdown run immediately after the intermission to extend Petal's advantage to 28-7.

Clinton responded with 14 unanswered points. Evans scored his second touchdown of the night on a 7-yard run before Jayden Jones found the end zone from 15 yards out with 27 seconds remaining in the third, trimming the deficit to 28-21.

Brown provided an immediate response for Petal, returning a punt 72 yards for a touchdown with 9:15 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Arrows answered just 36 seconds later when Jones connected with Jamari Smith for a 40-yard touchdown, pulling Clinton back within seven at 35-28 with 8:39 remaining.

Petal ultimately put the game away when Brown scored his fourth touchdown of the night on a 28-yard touchdown run with 1:20 remaining, producing the final 14-point margin.

BY THE NUMBERS

Clinton finished with 347 yards of total offense, including a season-high 256 yards on the ground. The Arrows recorded 23 first downs and held possession for 26 minutes, 12 seconds.

Evans paced the rushing attack with a season-high 155 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, averaging 9.1 yards per attempt. Jones added 103 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries as the duo helped Clinton average 6.2 yards per rushing attempt.

Through the air, Jones completed 9-of-22 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown. Smith led the receiving corps with three catches for 50 yards and a score, while John Jackson recorded four receptions for 27 yards.

Clinton's defense was led by Sean Riddley, who recorded 10 total tackles. Trevion Casnel followed with nine tackles, while Montario Braden added six.

Christopher Jones recorded Clinton's lone sack and added a tackle for loss, while AJ Fairley and Devin Harris also registered tackles behind the line scrimmage.

The Arrows also got a significant contribution from their kickoff return unit as Matthew Fletcher returned three kickoffs for 109 yards, including a long of 37 yards. 

UP NEXT

Clinton enters its bye week before opening Mississippi High School Activities Association Region 2-7A play against the Murrah Mustangs on Friday, Oct. 9, at Arrow Field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.