By Danny C. Davis
Yes, it really happened! Yes, the same Clinton team that won only one game in 2023, beat the number one team in the state of Mississippi – Brandon – 65-62 at Arrow Field.
Clinton High School (CHS) will host Grenada on Friday night, September 20, at Arrow Field, one of only three remaining home games for the Arrows this year. The game will be homecoming 2024 for CHS. The Arrows will be seeking revenge against Grenada, who beat them 35-0 last year at Grenada.
Arrow fans are encouraged to get to Arrow Field early to get a seat.
The game set a 103-year game record for Clinton for the most points combined scored in a game, between both teams – 127 points in the three-and-a-half-hour game.
Clinton’s 65 points tied a 2016 team record against Greenville in 2016.
Brandon had 31 first downs. Clinton had 32 first downs, almost unbelievable.
I have covered Clinton football since 1976, either as a radio announcer, sports writer, or public address announcer, and I never seen any game like this one – and may never see another one like it again.
All night long, Brandon kept scoring on long plays, and the Arrows came right back and scored on a long play to match it.
Clinton trailed 17-7 at the end of the first quarter and was behind 38-27 at the half.
But the upstart Arrows outscored the Bulldogs 37-24 in the last two quarters, including two touchdowns in the last quarter to win it.
Senior quarterback Josef Walker had a career night, completing 24 of 39 passes for 397 yards for three touchdowns, and he caught a TD pass on a double reverse play.
It was a breakout night for the Arrow receiving core, with senior Jaydann Hollins catching five passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns, and junior Erich Johnson catching ten passes for 156 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Phillip Burchfield had three key catches for 24 yards.
Hollins also threw a touchdown pass to Walker.
But the passing game opened up the running game for the Arrows, and dependable senior running back Jakobe Williams rushed twenty times for 80 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore running back Aaric Beasley scored his first varsity touchdown on a ten-yard run.
Even though the Arrow defense gave up a lot of yards, three big plays made a difference in the game.
Defensive back Chad Holiday’s pick six interception returned 33 yards for a TD and pulled Clinton within three points, 17-14, early in the second period.
Big play number two was when junior Christian Cavett picked up a Brandon fumble and returned it 23 yards midway in the third period that led to Williams’ one-yard TD run, which tied the game for the first time, 45-45.
But two special team plays allowed the Arrows to escape with the big win in the final period. Senior Lazivan Tinner blocked a field goal by the Bulldogs late in the fourth period. The dagger came with just 12 seconds remaining, when senior James Farr partially blocked Brandon’s Rhett Griffith’s 30-yard field goal attempt to seal the big win.
Clinton’s junior kicker Braylon Spann kicked well, making a 20-yard field goal and kicking eight extra points.
New Arrows’ head coach John Carr had praise for his young team after the game.
“I have never been in a high school game like this, coaching,” said Carr, who coach at Ouachita Parish high school in Louisiana for ten years. “It was like a track meet. But I was so proud of our offensive execution tonight. We preached on that all week long, and our guys were locked in this last week of practice. We cut down on our penalties and took advantage of some of their penalties. [EDITOR’S NOTE: Clinton had 15 penalties the week before against Northwest Rankin, in a 35-34 loss] That is what is so satisfying as a coach, as you see the fruits of that manifest.”
“They do what we ask them to do, and, when you can, stick to a plan,” continued Carr. “A lot of guys tonight made some good individual efforts, and we just weathered the storm. We played good football and did not ride the ups and downs of the game. We told the guys to play every snap their best and do not look at the scoreboard – and that is what they did tonight.”
“We did not even talk about Brandon and their rankings this week; we just focused on Clinton,” said Carr. “We are not ever going to preach about who the next opponent is, but [rather] can we play to the best version of ourselves. If we do that at the end of the game, we will see where it falls. You just hang around like we did tonight and don’t make mistakes.”
“Our skill guys made a lot of plays, and our defense made the stops at the end when we needed it, and we blocked field goals when we needed it. We have got to get better in our kicking game, but, overall, the guys bought in to what we are trying to do, and the effort was there tonight.”
“This was a big win for us, a big win for our school, and a big win for the community of Clinton. This was exciting. This is why you want to coach at big schools like Clinton and play the real good teams like we play every week.”
“Our schedule is built to where we cannot take a week off,” he continued. “We cannot not let this win beat us next week. We want the team to handle this win like a pro and move on the next opponent.”