The Clear Creek eighth-grade Bobcats took the football field for a final time ahead of their playoff matchup.
CCMS hosted Union County last Thursday, and the winless Panthers got off to a hot start to make a game out of it. The Cats were able to tie the score by halftime, and a successful two-point conversion in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference as Clear Creek won, 20-19.
Union depended heavily on the pass and completed four on its opening possession for a total of 72 yards. The last was a 16-yard competition to cap the six-play, 75-yard drive for a 6-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.
The Bobcats’ contrasted attack kept the ball on the ground. Halfback Hunter Britain and fullback Michael Bushey split the carries on the 75-yard possession. A 43-yard run by Britain around the right edge saw him juke multiple defenders to set CCMS up with first and goal at the 10. CCMS suffered a 5-yard setback before Bushey rushed consecutively with his last covering 8 yards to pay dirt.
The score tied the game at 6-6 after a failed conversion.
UCMS did not waste any time when it got the ball back. It took just three plays on a drive that started at the Panthers’ 47. Union moved ahead 12-6 on a 43-yard touchdown toss in the final minute of the first quarter.
CCMS punted on its next two possessions, and UCMS did the same on its third drive. The Panthers’ fourth drive ended with a fumble, and Bobcat Blake Grizzle recovered at Union’s 9-yard line. Bushey’s two carries advanced CCMS to the 1, and quarterback Bo Cronic scored on the third play of the drive.
Teams entered halftime with the score tied, 12-12, and the clouds opened in the second half as a steady rain fell over the game’s final 16 minutes.
Union’s second drive of the half started at its 25 and resulted in points. A 32-yard pass on the drive’s sixth play moved Union from midfield to the Cats’ 19. A 7-yard pass two plays later and extra point gave UCMS a 19-12 lead with 7:31 to play in the game.
CCMS only needed five plays to cover 75 yards. Bushey was the workhorse and rushed four times for 63 yards as the Bobcat line opened holes in the middle of the Panthers’ defense. Bushey’s last carry was for 6 yards and brought CCMS within a point with 5:27 to play.
Clear Creek lined up for the ever-important conversion, and Bushey shot across the goal line for a 20-19 lead.
Union’s last drive stalled at midfield after it was extended by a fake punt. The Cats got the ball back with 2:25 left on the clock, and an 11-yard run by Bushey on first down was enough to let CCMS run out the clock to even its record at 3-3.
CCMS will travel to Pickens Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. kickoff to start the playoffs. The seventh-grade Cats will host Fannin County Wednesday at 5:30.