Clear Creek hosted Lumpkin County, and the visiting Indians notched two football wins.
In the eighth-grade game, three Bobcat turnovers were converted into LCMS touchdowns. CCMS trailed throughout and by as many as 28 points in a 40-18 loss.
Lumpkin’s seventh-grade running back was too much for the Bobcats as his size and speed proved to be a formidable combination. CCMS had success when it kept Lumpkin’s offense off the field, but the Indians got rolling and came away with a 20-6 victory.
Lumpkin’s eighth graders deployed a revamped offense compared to what CCMS coaches observed on film, according to head coach Willie Dodaro. The Indians enjoyed a bye week ahead of their meeting with the Bobcats.
“Our coaching staff did a good job getting us ready. Our preparation was on task, and we moved the ball pretty decently but they controlled the clock more than we had opportunities to have the ball. Defensively, we prepared for a totally different offense because the film they sent us was completely different. We’re not making excuses and we tried to make adjustments, and it was hard for our kids to pick up some of the things we were trying to get across to them,” Dodaro said.
“It was a disappointing day for us and they caught us off guard with that situation. It will teach is to be better prepared in the future.”
Aside from their final possession when they were killing the clock, the eighth-grade Indians scored on six of eight drives. CCMS let the ball lay on the ground on the opening kickoff, and LCMS gladly pounced on it. The 35-yard drive ended with a quarterback keeper on fourth and 2 from the 4-yard line.
The teams traded punts, and the next time Clear Creek’s offense as was on the field, the Cats fumbled an option pitch.
LCMS took over at the Cats’ 31, and two completions followed. The final was for an 18-yard touchdown and 12-0 lead with 7:12 left in the second quarter.
Clear Creek responded with its lone score of the half. Fullback Cal Morrison handled all three carries on the three play, 52-yard possession. His third punishing run as a 24-yard touchdown that drew CCMS within six points.
Lumpkin answered with an eight-play, 54-yard drive that concluded with a 5-yard touchdown run.
Leading 20-6 at halftime, LCMS added more points to begin the third quarter. The Indians continued to find success through the air and with quarterback runs. The five-play, 63-yard drive ended with a 30-yard quarterback scramble for a touchdown.
Trailing 28-6, CCMS fumbled the ensuing kickoff and LCMS gained possession at the Cats’ 40. The three-play series concluded with a 30-yard quarterback draw. The conversion failed again, and LCMS led 34-6 with 4:05 left in the third quarter.
Clear Creek’s second scoring drive followed and began at Lumpkin’s 33. After a 1-yard gain by Morrison, quarterback Slade Smith kept the ball around the left end for a 66-yard touchdown.
LCMS fumbled on its next drive and Bobcat Brier Jones recovered. CCMS eventually turned the ball over on downs and LCMS took over at Clear Creek’s 36. Four plays later, LCMS led 40-12 after a 13-yard quarterback keeper.
CCMS put a final 60-yard drive together. Smith and Morrison shared the six rushes, and the former scored on a 5-yard run.
The loss dropped the Bobcats record to 3-1.
Possessions were limited in the seventh-grade game, and CCMS strung together a seven-minute, 55-yard drive to get things going. Wingback Michael Sapp an fullback Parker Chancey handled the bulk of the rushes, and Sapp’s 2-yard run on the eighth play put CCMS on the board.
Lumpkin returned the kickoff to the Cats’ 39, and scored on a jet sweep on its first play from scrimmage. The conversion moved LCMS ahead, 8-6.
CCMS put a 15-play, 8:36 drive together, but it stalled on the goal line as the second quarter clock expired.
Despite a sack by Tate DeBoard and tackle for a 6-yard loss by Sapp, LCMS reached pay dirt. The 14-play, 70-yard drive ended with a 12-yard quarterback keeper. LCMS led 14-6 with 14 seconds left in the third.
The Indians booted a line-drive kickoff that bounced off the chest of a CCMS player on the front line. LCMS took over at Clear Creek’s 41 and scored four plays later on a 33-yard rush.
CCMS was down 20-6 with 6:42 left in the game, and the two teams turned the ball over on downs to end the game.
“We’re tiny, and we have some gutsy kids who play pretty tough,” Dodaro said. “We have to get some more kids out, we can’t have 17 or 18 kids on the sideline. They gave a great effort and started coming up and hitting their running back. Our offense just didn’t have the ball enough to carry the load.
“I’m real pleased with the seventh-grade. Even if we don’t get more kids out, I know they’ll be a lot stronger next year and know a lot more about football.”
The seventh-grade Cats are 1-2 in league play. CCMS travels to Pickesn Wednesday for games beginning at 5 p.m.