Friday night’s scrimmage between Todd County Central and Clinton County was originally scheduled to be four, 10-minute quarters. It ended after three with the Rebels dropping a 50-0 decision to the Bulldogs.
Offensively, the Rebels started strong. After fielding the opening kickoff under a controlled kickoff scenario, they started at their own 20 and drove 78 yards on12 plays.
Clinton County initially struggled against Todd Central’s Double Wing offense, with senior running backs Zikavion Martin and freshman DaVaughn Lister gashing the Bulldog defense and forcing them to call two timeouts to make adjustments.
On the drive, Martin carried three times for 47 yards, while Lister carried four times for 20 yards.
The Rebels were not able, however, to capitalize on the drive. Facing 4th and goal from the Clinton 2-yard line, senior quarterback Eli Morgan was dropped for a one-yard loss ending their only real scoring threat of the evening.
Clinton County proceeded to rip off a 10-play, 97-yard drive, which stretched throughout the end of the first quarter and into the second. It was punctuated by senior quarterback Jaxon Mason scoring on a quarterback keeper from two yards out. On the drive, Mason was 4-4 for 64 yards.
Running back Tristin Rogers rushed for the two-point conversion as the Bulldogs grabbed an 8-0 led.
Todd Central’s second possession saw the Clinton County defense making the successful adjustment to the Double Wing forcing the Rebels into a three-and-out possession. Eli Morgan’s 32 yard punt, with no return under scrimmage protocol, gave the Bulldogs possession at their own 47-yard line.
Clinton County proceeded to execute a seven-play, 53-yard drive with Mason again scoring on a quarterback keeper, this time from 10 yards out. Mason successfully completed a pass for the two-point conversion, and the lead was stretched to 16-0.
What followed was an incredibly frustrating stretch for the Rebels’ offense which saw them lose possession of the ball on five out of six possessions via fumbles.
Their third possession ended with a fumble at their own eight-yard line late in the first half. In what was the highlight of the night for the defense, the Rebels kept the Bulldogs from scoring as senior defensive back Eduardo Lopez broke up a pass in the endzone on fourth and goal from the five-yard line.
Todd Central’s only offensive possession in that stretch that did not end with a fumble was a five-yard rushing play to end the first half.
The third quarter, which saw Clinton County capitalize on Todd Central’s inability to hold on to the ball and put up 34 points, was pure nightmare fuel for the Rebels and certainly made them glad it was a scrimmage.
In its opening possession of the half, Clinton went 80 yards in five plays. Mason connected on passes of 36 and 27 yards on the drive with the 27-yard pass going for a touchdown to Kasyn Massengale. The two-point conversion failed making the score 22-0.
The next four possessions ended with the Rebels turning the ball over on fumbles giving Clinton County excellent field position that they were able to capitalize on.
The first possession ended on the first play with a Lister fumble which Clinton recovered at the Rebel 19-yard line. Three plays later, Mason connected on a 12-yard touchdown pass, again to Massengale. The two-point conversion made the score 30-0.
On the next Rebel’s play, Eli Morgan was sacked for a loss of eight yards and was forced to leave the game after losing his helmet. He would not return. Martin moved into the quarterback possession and was able to convert the only first down of the half for the Rebels on two rushing plays but his fumble at the 28-yard line put the Bulldogs in business again.
This time Clinton County needed only one play with Mason executing an excellent play fake and keeping the ball. He easily scored the touchdown and his pass to Bradley Young for the two-point conversion made the score 38-0.
A missed toss on an option pitch led to Clinton’s Logan Bell scooping up the loose ball and going in for the touchdown that pushed the margin to 42-0 after a failed rushing attempt on the two-point conversion.
The final fumble occurred on the third play of the next Todd Central possession. This time it was recovered at the Rebels’ 12-yard line and Mason promptly connected with Noah McCutchen on a wide receiver screen pass for the final touchdown of the evening. The two-point conversion, a rush by Bell, accounted for the final scoring of the night.
Todd County Central will look to bounce back and break into the win column to start the season as it travels to Ballard Memorial to take on the Bombers on Friday, August 22 at 7pm.
ALL PHOTOS – KASSITY BOOR / TITUS RAGER
