Clay County gets to 5-2 with first region win at Jo Byrns

CEDAR HILL-The Clay County Bulldog football team headed into their bye week on high note with a dominating 45-21 Region 4-A victory over Jo Byrns here last Friday night.

The Dawgs exploded for over 500 yards of total offense and six touchdowns against the Red Devils to improve to 5-2 on the season, and the production came in a wide array of ways.

Quarterback Nate Adams continued his stellar senior campaign by smashing his own single-game record with 340 yards passing and four touchdowns—two each to his classmate cousin Lance Burchett and junior brother Nolan Adams, who combined for 269 receiving yards.

Senior Ayden Soto rushed for 141 yards and a score, while his classmate in the backfield Worm Smith also found the end zone on the ground.

Senior kicker Manny Hernandez accounted for the remainder of the points with six made extra points and a field goal.

While the Clay County offense was firing at will, the Dawg defense shut down Jo Byrns from the start and allowed their opponent less than 100 yards in the contest.

A total of four Red Devil passes were intercepted, with three of those picked off by Nolan Adams and the other by Smith.

The first two Jo Byrns scores came on, or were set up by, long kickoff returns, while their final touchdown happened in the waning seconds of the game against Clay County’s reserve defense.

The Red Devils’ first two drives ended in a pair of three-and-outs, while the Dawgs built a 14-0 lead as Nate Adams first found Burchett for a 60-yard scoring strike and his sibling for a touchdown connection covering 35 yards.

Jo Byrns answered Nolan Adams’ score by returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to make it 14-7, but Clay County then marched 92 yards to regain their two-possession lead.

Big plays on the 12-play scoring drive included a Burchett 22-yard catch and a 20-yarder hauled in by junior tight end Reece Adams.

Soto also racked up five carries to set up Burchett’s second score, which was a six-yard touchdown pass from Nate Adams that sent the Bulldogs into the break ahead 21-7.

Clay County made it 28-7 on the opening drive of the second half, when junior Waylon Cherry completed a diving catch for 28 yards to flip the field and Nolan Adams snatched a 16-yard touchdown out the air for his second score of the night.

Soto also broke free for a 54-yard touchdown run and Smith did the same from 21 yards out in the third quarter.

Both Bulldog scores came following Jo Byrns finding paydirt, and they combined to change the scoreboard to 42-15 heading into the final period.

Then early in the fourth, Hernandez started the TSSAA mercy-rule running clock when he kicked his 16-yard field goal to make it 45-15, before the last-second Red Devil score accounted for the final margin.

Bulldog stats

Clay County amassed 522 total yards in the conference win, including Nate Adams’ 340 yards on 16 of 22 passing (4TDs/INT) and a total of 182 rushing yards (2TDs).

Nolan Adams was the leading receiver (7/144 yds./2TDs), while Burchett (5/125 yds./2TDs) wasn’t far behind.  Cherry (2/47 yds.) and Reece Adams (2/24 yds.) also had multiple catches.

Soto led the way on the ground with 141 yards (TD) on 18 carries, while Nate Adams (5/27 yds.), Smith (1/21 yds./TD), freshman Isaiah Burnette (1/0 yds.), and Nolan Adams (1/-1 yd.) also ran the ball.  The team was also assessed -6 yards.

Reece Adams was the Dawgs’ leading tackler with nine; junior Cole Eads had four; and Soto, junior Bryson Sharp, and Smith (INT) all recorded three.

Senior Hayden Adams, junior Kolton Brown, and Nolan Adams (3INTs) all made two tackles, while Cherry, senior Eli Burnette (Sack), sophomores Roland Holaway and Lucas Graves, and freshmen Cole Ledbetter and Jackson Ritter each had one stop.