Clear Creek closed out its football season last Thursday in Dahlonega.
The CCMS Bobcats met the hometown Lumpkin County Indians and the eighth-grade teams took the field first. LCMS scored touchdowns on its final two drives of the first half and CCMS drew within a score in the third quarter.
Lumpkin added another touchdown and kept the Bobcats out of the end zone for a 22-8 win.
It took a couple possessions by each team before the game’s first points. Both teams were content with letting their quarterback handle most of the carries on the day.
Lumpkin fumbled to begin the game and Bobcat Trace Morton recovered, and the Indians punted on their second possession. CCMS punted twice and Lumpkin’s third drive started at its 28.
A quarterback keeper picked up 19 yards on first down, and the same play resulted in a 47-yard touchdown run to cap the two-play drive.
CCMS fumbled the ball back to LCMS, and the Indians were in business at the Cats’ 15. A reverse on first down added another touchdown and Lumpkin led 14-0 2:13 before the half.
CCMS put together a 14-play, 65-yard touchdown drive to begin the second half. Quarterback Isaac Rellinger and backs Talyn Curtis, Kyle Cowart and Kade Miller all shared carriers on the drive.
The Cats faked a punt on fourth down and 4 from their 41 and Curtis gained 16 yards to keep the drive alive.
After Miller rushed for 10, CCMS eventually faced third and 19, and a roughing the passer penalty advanced the ball to Lumpkin’s 28. Four plays later, Rellinger scrambled before completing a 9-yard touchdown pass to Cowart.
The drive took 7:04 off the clock, and CCMS trailed 14-8 before the teams traded punts.
With 4:30 left in the game, Lumpkin’s final touchdown drive spanned 65 yards and needed five plays. The Indian signalcaller handed all of the rushes and his last covered 38 yards for a touchdown and 22-8 lead.
The Bobcats were unable to mount a final rally and Lumpkin got the win. Clear Creek finished the season with a 1-5 record.
“I can’t be anymore prouder of them,” CCMS coach Willie Dodaro said. “I couldn’t have asked more out of my coaches, who did a fabulous job keeping the team together and getting ready each week. The kids respond to them very well.
“Every week, even with the disappointments we had going on, the kids came to play. They knew their opportunity and if they kept on going hard they might have a chance to sneak in the back door to the playoffs. A few breaks in each of these contests caused these kids a bad situation. Those are things you have to overcome.”
7th grade Cats fall, 36-6
The seventh-grade Bobcats could not contain the Indians’ ground attack. LCMS scored on each of its possessions before it killed the clock in the fourth quarter for a 36-6 win.
Lumpkin scored four first half touchdowns, and none of the drives needed more than six plays. The possessions spanned 58, 80, 67 and 76 yards, and LCMS led 30-0 at halftime.
The second half quarters were shortened from eight minutes to six and the clock ran continuously.
CCMS punted on all of its first half possessions and did the same to start the third quarter. LCMS responded with a two-play drive that concluded with a 51-yard touchdown run.
The Cats were able to reach the end zone on their final drive. Michael Bushey broke a 44-yard run through the middle of Lumpkin’s defense to set up a first down at the Indians’ 15.
Carter Ortis then picked up 11 yards, and Bushey took the ball across the goal line from 4 yards out on the third play of the drive.
The conversion failed and LCMS knelt to drain the final 28 seconds off the clock.
CCMS posted a 0-5 record on the season breaking in a roster that experienced some growing pains.
“We had some kids who never played when they were on the rec team the first year of that group when they were in sixth grade,” Dodaro said. “They developed into a better football player this year. We had some big kids who came out on the line, but it was their first year.”
He added, “We didn’t have a spring practice, and at this age, you need as much practice as you can get. A lot of these newcomers didn’t get to have spring because we couldn’t (because of COVID-19 restrictions). Hopefully, in the weight room and offseason and being able to communicate with them more about football, we might have a little bit of an opportunity (next season).”