The Fort Campbell Falcons faced a tough outing on Thursday night, falling to the Clarksville Academy Cougars 45-0 in the first matchup between the two schools in 25 years at Fryar Stadium. The loss was yet another blow to a Fort Campbell team that has struggled to find its rhythm in the early parts of the season, having suffered a defeat in week one as well.
The loss dropped the Falcons to 0-2 on the season as turnovers, penalties, and miscues stalled any chance of momentum.
“We have to block, we have to tackle. We can’t make mistakes. Clarksville Academy, kudos to those guys, they have 25 guys over there, but like I told my guys, you only need 11,” Fort Campbell head coach Henry Mitchell said. “We have to get back to the drawing board. We tried to compete, we did compete, but we can’t make mistakes.”
Fort Campbell managed just 97 yards of total offense while committing three turnovers. Meanwhile, the Cougars racked up 346 yards.
Clarksville Academy struck first on its opening drive with an eight-yard touchdown run by Chris Watson. From there, the Cougars controlled the game, building a 25-0 halftime lead as the Falcons were held under 50 first-half yards.
The second half opened with more trouble for Fort Campbell. A delay of game penalty pushed the opening kickoff back five yards, and CA’s Kaleb Settles took advantage—returning the kick 75 yards for a touchdown to extend the Cougars’ lead.
Fort Campbell never recovered.
Next week, the Falcons travel to Fort Knox for a rivalry matchup. Mitchell said the focus now is on keeping his players positive and learning from early-season mistakes.
“Just keep pushing on. Stay positive, I just have to stay positive, make sure my guys stay positive and get back to the drawing board on Monday,” said Mitchell. “Learn from your mistakes. We’re going to get into film and learn from your mistakes.”
Series history
1975: FC 27 – CA 0
1976: FC 53 – CA 6
1999: FC 0 – CA 20
2000: FC 6 – CA 17
2025: FC 0 – CA 45
CA leads series 3-2
CLARKSVILLE ACADEMY 45, FORT CAMPBELL 0
CA: 13; 12; 13; 7 — 45
FC: 0; 0; 0; 0 — 0
First quarter
CA — Jayden Ladner 8-yard run (Logan Gibson kick)
CA — Devin Cheek 6-yard run (kick failed)
Second quarter
CA — Ladner 1 yard run (two point failed)
CA — Andrayas Scott 15-yard pass from CJ Snodgrass (two-point failed)
Third quarter
CA — Kaleb Settles 75-yard return (Gibson)
CA — Ladner 1 yard run (kick failed)
Fourth quarter
CA — Josh Reed 32-yard run (Gibson)
