Dawgs to host Jo Byrns for 4-A championship

CELINA-The Clay County Bulldog football team will take the field in search of their third Region 4-A title in four years here Thursday night, as they welcome Jo Byrns to town the night before Halloween.

After dominating Innovation Academy 48-0 on the road last week and Red Boiling Springs the week prior, the 8-1 Dawgs are looking to sweep their region with a win over the 5-4 Red Devils.

A region championship victory would earn Clay County the right to host the first two rounds of the playoffs.

As the region champion, the Dawgs would play the Region 3-A #4 seed next week at home to kick off the postseason.

With an opening round win on Friday, November 7, Clay County would then host the winner of a first-round game between the Region 2-A #2 seed and Region 1-A #3 seed in the second round.

South Pittsburg (8-1) has already clinched the Region 3-A title, with Sale Creek (8-1), Whitwell (3-6), and Copper Basin (3-6) still vying for the other three playoff spots.

Region 1-A playoff contenders include Hampton (8-1), Cloudland (5-4), North Greene (5-4), Cosby (5-4), and Jellico (3-5).

Coalfield (7-2) and Oliver Springs (6-3) are battling for the top spot in Region 2-A, with Rockwood (5-4), Midway (6-3), and Greenback (4-5) still in playoff contention.

If the Dawgs fall to the Red Devils Thursday night, they would still host their first-round game, but it would be played against Region 3-A’s #3 seed.

Under those circumstances, a Clay County win would pit them against the winner of a game between the Region 2-A #1 seed and Region 1-A #4 seed in the second round.

Innovation no

match for Clay

Innovation Academy was no match for Clay County here last Friday night, as the Dawgs scored early and often in the blowout win.

Clay County found the end zone on all but one of the first-half possessions to lead 40-0 at halftime, before they added another touchdown in shortened second half.

Senior quarterback Nolan Adams accounted for the first three scores, as he ran for two touchdowns and threw for another.

While the Clay County defense stifled the Sentinel attack, he scored rushing touchdowns of five and three yards respectively, and also found senior Bryson Sharp for a five-yard touchdown pass.

Senior Reece Adams added two-point conversion runs following the trio of touchdowns, and the Dawgs led 24-0 early in the second quarter.

Reece Adams then found pay-dirt with a 21-yard run to the end zone, which was followed by a two-point pass from Nolan Adams to senior wideout Cole Eads to make it 32-0 with under four minutes left in the half.

Before intermission, junior Cage Ashley turned back Innovation Academy with an interception and freshman Nemo Hamilton sprinted 40 yards for another touchdown.

Reece Adams added the two-pointer to produce the 40-point Clay County advantage at the break, before senior Waylon Cherry returned the opening kickoff of the second half 70 yards for the last touchdown of the game.

Nolan Adams added the two-point run for the contest’s final points and reserves went on to secure the shutout down the stretch.

Bulldog stats

Clay County had a total of 295 yards of offense on 32 plays in the win, including 27 rushes for 267 yards and 28 yards passing.

Nolan Adams accounted for all of the yards through the air on four of five passing (TD) with completions to Cherry (2/18 yds.), Sharp (1/5 yds./TD), and Eads (1/3 yds./2PT).

Nolan Adams was also the leading rusher (9/160 yds./2TDs/2PT), while Reece Adams (12/65 yds./TD/4-2PTs), Hamilton (4/45 yds./TD), and sophomore Isaiah Burnette (2/-3 yds.) also had carries.

Defensively Reece Adams made seven tackles (TFL/Sack), junior Rolan Holaway had five stops (3TFLs), and Ashley had four (TFL/INT).

Eads (TFL) and freshman Bentley Johnson both had three tackles; Sharp, senior Kolton Brown (TFL), junior Oliver Boles (TFL), sophomore Tucker Walker, and freshman Bryce Evans (TFL) made two; and Burnette, Hamilton, sophomore Cole Ledbetter (TFL), and freshmen Easton Adams and Brentley Long all had one tackle.