Bulldogs will host Midway in Sweet 16

CELINA-When the Clay County Bulldogs take the field for the second round of the playoffs here at John Teeples Field Friday night, they want to do so with a jam-packed Joe Neil Eads Stadium as their back drop, according to head coach Bruce Lamb.

“I’d love for everybody to come out show these young men some love, because they play extremely hard and try to leave everything on the field for Clay County each week,” Lamb said.  “Most likely, unless there’s an upset this week between South Pitt and Oliver Springs, this will be our last home game.

“It’s always huge to play at home and we hope everyone will come out Friday night.”

The 10-1 Dawgs will play host to an unfamiliar foe in the form of 8-3 Midway in the Sweet 16 round.  It will be the first-ever meeting between Clay County and the Green Wave.

“It gets tougher each round you go and they are a quality opponent,” Lamb said of the team hailing from south of Kingston, which has won six-straight games.  “They’ve figured out how to win just like we have.

“One of the streaks is going to have to end and I sure hope it is theirs, and with a big crowd behind us and this team playing with the same intensity they’ve had the last few weeks, we’ve got as good of a shot as anybody.”

That intensity led Clay County to a 40-6 opening-round victory over Copper Basin last week, which was the Dawgs’ 10th win in a row.

If they can make it 11-straight victories, Clay County will take on the winner of the a second-round game between South Pittsburg (10-1) and Oliver Springs (7-4) in next week’s Class A State Quarterfinals.

“They are pretty focused and they understand what this is all about,” Lamb said of his team.  “They know what their goal is, and they are going to do what they can to get there.

“We came out last Thursday night and you could see… they knew what they had to do, and they did it, and they did it early.”

Senior quarterback Nolan Adams threw for back-to-back touchdowns to senior wideout Waylon Cherry on Clay County’s first two possessions against Copper Basin, before he rushed for another pair of first-half scores.

Nolan Adams hit Cherry for a 37-yard touchdown first and then found him again from six yards out.  Senior Reece Adams followed the initial score with a two-point conversion and Nolan Adams added the second one to surge his team ahead of the Cougars 16-0.

The Dawgs then doubled their advantage to 32-0 with rushing touchdowns of 10 and 23 yards from Nolan Adams, paired with a two-point catch by senior Bryson Sharp and another conversion ran in by Reece Adams.

Clay County’s final points came from a combination of a Reece Adams 21-yard rushing touchdown and a two-point conversion thrown by Nolan Adams to freshman Nemo Hamilton prior to intermission, where they led 40-0.

A shortened second half featuring a running clock and reserve play from the Dawgs followed, where Copper Basin scored a late touchdown to account for the final margin.

While Clay County was scoring at will, the starting Dawg defense continued their stingy ways and shut down the Cougars throughout.

As he has his entire career, Reece Adams led the defensive charge and became the Bulldogs all-time leading tackler in the victory with a total of 312 tackles heading into this week’s matchup with Midway.

“I’m very proud of that young man,” Lamb said of his star linebacker.  “He has worked extremely hard to help this football team, and it was good to see him get personal recognition, because he deserves it.

“He works hard, eats right, works out, watches film…  really proud of what he has accomplished and the young man he has become.”

Stats

Clay County had a total of 293 yards of offense on 34 plays in the win, including 25 rushes for 233 yards (3TDs/3-2PTs) and 60 yards passing (2TDs/2-2PTs) on five completions out of nine attempts.

Nolan Adams (5/7 for 60 yds./2TDs/2-2PTs) and sophomore Fletcher Strong (0/2) both attempted passes, while Cherry (3/48 yds./2TDs), Sharp (1/3 yds/2PT), and Hamilton (1/3 yds/2PT) combined for the five receptions.

Nolan Adams was also the leading rusher (10/116 yds./2TDs/2PT), while Reece Adams wasn’t far behind (9/105 yds./TD/2-2PTs).  Hamilton (3/27 yds.) and sophomore Isaiah Burnette (1/0 yds.) also had carries, and the team was assessed a total of -15 yards.

Reece Adams was the leading tackler with eight (3TFLs/FF), while Sharp (TFL), Burnette (2TFLs), senior Cole Eads (TFL), and junior Rolan Holaway (TFL) each had two tackles each.

Making one tackle apiece were Nolan Adams, Cherry, and fellow seniors Kolton Brown and Kason Monroy Hidalgo; junior Cage Ashley (FR); sophomores Jackson Ritter, Nixon Melton, and Tucker Walker; and freshmen Bentley Johnson, Easton Adams, and Bryce Evans.