Clinton defeated Central Arkansas Christian Academy 48-28 on Friday night.
It was the defenses that dictated most of the first quarter. After a couple of early punts, CAC got going with a 28-yard pass from quarterback Eli Garrison to wide receiver Garrett Overstreet. The pass was followed by tough running from Krishaun Watson, and the Mustangs' other quarterback Palmer Gilbrech completed a 20-yard touchdown pass to Overstreet to put CAC up 7-0.
The Mustangs nearly went up 14-0 on their next possession, but they had a 48-yard touchdown pass called back due to a penalty.
Clinton got its offense going in the second quarter with Ethen Drake taking off on runs of 27 and 40 yards. Caleb Bowman took the ball in from 6 yards out, but the point after was blocked by CAC's John Dalton to make the score 7-6.
Clinton's defense dug in and got the ball back on downs on CAC's next possession. The Yellowjackets wasted no time in capitalizing as Drake went on a 78-yard scamper all the way to the end zone. The two-point conversion gave Clinton its first lead at 14-7.
The Mustangs bounced back quickly as they tied the game 14-14 on an 11-yard catch and run by Watson. On its ensuing drive, Clinton drove 75 yards, including a 29-yard run by Sky Davidson. Quarterback Weston Amos scored on a keeper to make it 21-14 at the half.
The Mustangs' Ethan DeMarco had a scoop and score from 34 yards out to pull CAC within 35-21 with 8:30 left. After a failed onside-kick attempt, Clinton went to its running game to use some clock. Weston Amos took it in on a keeper to make it 42-21. Each team added another score late making the final 48-28.
"They are much improved," Clinton Coach Chris Dufrene. "They came out with their passing game. Our kids were a little bit shell-shocked early. Our defense really stepped up. We went to a nickel with five D-backs and four guys in the box and were able to rotate some fresh guys on the line."
The defensive scheme worked well, resulting in five sacks. Clinton racked up 467 yards, with 441 on the ground. Drake finished with eight carries for 223 yards.
Both teams will be headed to Searcy next week, as Clinton (3-0) will take on Harding Academy while CAC (1-2) travels to Riverview.
[HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Click here for more scores, recaps and photos]
Sports on 09/15/2018