Clear Creek football’s season came to a close in the league semifinals.
The CCMS seventh-grade Bobcats hosted Lumpkin County last Tuesday, and the Bobcats had difficulty slowing the Indians’ running back. The Cats trailed at the half, and a fourth-quarter conversion sealed the win for Lumpkin, 26-22.
“I was so proud of how they played and never gave up,” said head coach Willie Dodaro. “I hope that carries over to this coming spring and we get a few more guys out for the team to have a successful eighth grade.
“If we had got that (defensive) stop (in the fourth), we would have gotten the ball back with two minutes and we were driving the ball pretty well. We just lost the grip on some tackles and the kid ran for a first down.”
This group of players had struggled to get in the win column in recent seasons. CCMS was 2-0 in league play during the regular season and also secured a non-league win over Towns County.
“It was a challenge this year, but the thing about it, we never lost any participation from June on,” Dodaro said. “That’s one thing you’re proud of: making it through the summer and carrying on through the season. They got better because they got to know the game a lot better through their participation at practices.
“The only downfall is Union and Fannin don’t have seventh-grade teams (and the Dawson County game was canceled). We got to pick up a game against Towns, and they have a mix of eighth, seventh and sixth graders. They played tremendously well against that group, and that gave them a lot of confidence for the rest of the season.”
Dodaro concluded by adding, “The coaches did an outstanding job. I couldn’t thank the guys enough for putting the time in to work with the seventh graders to make it a successful season. It took a whole unit of coaches and players to achieve what we did.”
CCMS ended the season with a 3-1 overall record.