Clear Creek and Fannin County met for a hard-fought game on the gridiron.
The eighth-grade middle school game was held last Thursday at CCMS, and it needed overtime to declare a winner. Both teams scored in the extra session, but it was the Rebels’ successful two-point conversion that allowed them to come away with an 8-6 win.
“’I’m proud of my kids,” CCMS head coach Willie Dodaro said after the game. “I work with really good gentlemen. I work with really good coaches that care and work hard every week. The players feed off that. That’s what make us good. Wins may not come, but we’re playing hard, and that’s all I can ask.
“Against Union (last week), I didn’t think they left everything on the field. Tonight, they left everything on the field. Their effort was unbelievable.”
The game’s most exciting play came at the end of regulation. To that point, CCMS had been forced to punt five times. Conversely, all five of Fannin’s drives ended with turnovers on downs inside CCMS territory.
Clear Creek’s final drive of the fourth quarter began at its 28-yard line with 25 seconds left in the game. CCMS quarterback Issac Rellinger scrambled for 22 yards to the 50 before completing a pass to Talyn Curtis for 10 yards.
Following a 5-yard setback, CCMS set up for the final play from the Rebels’ 45. Rellinger hit Kyle Cowart in stride across the middle, and he continued across the field before getting a block from Curtis.
As both fan bases watched with bated breath, Cowart raced for the end zone. But a Rebel defender was able to make the tackle six yards short of the end zone.
“I thought we had that one with Kyle,” Dodaro said. “We got a great cut back block from Curtis, and I thought we were in and going to win with no time left on the clock.”
In overtime, each team received the ball at the opposing team’s 15-yard line.
Rellinger rushed three straight times, and his last run covered one yard and took him across the goal line.
On the ensuing two-point conversion, CCMS went with a quarterback sneak, but Rellinger was stopped short.
It took Fannin three rushing plays to score as well. The Rebels added the conversion on a fullback dive for the two-point victory.
“We didn’t move the ball very well then we got to OT and went in and scored,” Dodaro said. “We just couldn’t get that two-point conversion. They held us pretty good in the middle today.”
Before the excitement of the end of the game, CCMS only ran six offensive plays in the first half and did not achieve a first down until the third quarter.
“We just have to get better up front,” Dodaro said. “We have people who can score and people who can throw. We got to start using our weapons and we’re not being able to. We’re getting stopped at the line of scrimmage and have got to be able to move. We have to get better at getting outside and teams are taking that away from us.
“The defense is giving us an opportunity to win. They’ve been doing an unbelievable job. We had our backs against the wall a couple times tonight and they hung in there.”
CCMS is 0-2 and off this week.
7th grade loses, 14-0
The seventh-grade Bobcats gave up a touchdown in each half and lost to the Rebels, 14-0.
The Cats turned the ball over on downs to start the game and were forced to punt on their other two first half possessions.
Fannin’s first two drives ended with fumbles. One occurred a yard shy of a touchdown and Bobcat Xander Da La Torre was there for the recovery. The Rebels’ fumble on their next drive was recovered by Clear Creek’s Jack Puckett.
However, FCMS scored before the half on a 61-yard run. The teams exchanged possessions to begin the third quarter before the Rebels added to their lead.
They reached paydirt on a two-play possession. Following a run of 20 yards, FCMS scored on a 65-yard jaunt. The ensuing two-point conversion accounted for the game’s final points.
Clear Creek fumbled the ball on its last drive of the game.