By Clay County High School Football Coach Jason Nichols
This past Friday, the CCHS Panther football team took on the Red Devils from Calhoun County. The Panthers were coming off two straight wins and looking to get three in a row. It was a special night for senior football players, cheerleaders, and band members who were all enjoying their last Friday night football game at Bradley Field. No Panther would leave disappointed.
The Panthers were pumped up from the start. The first offensive play of the game was just a sign of things to come, as Senior RB Reece Nichols sprinted 75 yards for the first Panther TD and he also converted the 2-point conversion for an early 8-0 lead. Calhoun would jump right back in the game after hitting a long pass down the middle and then the Red Devil QB Dylan Heiney took it in from 27 yards out making the score 8-6. That was as close as it would ever get.
The Panthers would score on their next three possessions as Jr. WR/RB Isaac Workman ran for a 54 yard score and Reece Nichols scored from 11 yards out. At the end of the first, it was 24-6 Panthers. Nichols would add another nine-yard TD early in the second quarter. QB Alex Grose would connect with Ryan Burdette for the 2-point conversion and CCHS was up 32-6 with a lot of time remaining in the first half.
The Panthers picked right up where we left off in the 2nd half. Senior OL/DL Ryan Stewart returned a fumble 26 yards to open up the half and Nichols scored his 4th TD from 30 yards out early in the 3rd. With the Panthers up 46-6, it was time to let the younger guys have a crack at some varsity football. Sophomores Joel Cruickshanks and Luke Burnette would carry the load for the rest of the night. Cruickshanks had a 39 yard TD called back on a holding penalty.
Clay piled up nearly 500 yards of offense on the evening. Reece Nichols carried the ball 20 times for 218 yards and four touchdowns. He also added two 2-point conversions. Sr. FB Kyle Salisbury added 105 yards rushing. Other rushing stats include Workman with 72 yards and a touchdown, Cruickshanks with 69 and Burnette with 36. Senior OL/DL Ian Smith also added a 2-point conversion rush to allow all captains the chance to score on Senior Night.
CCHS will look to finish the season on a four-game winning streak to close at 5-5 if we can beat the Highlanders of Webster County at Webster. Please come out and support these players as they get 1 last opportunity to wear that Panther uniform.
The CCHS coaches want to say thank you to Ian Smith, Ryan Stewart, Reece Nichols, Mason Smith, Austin DeMorato, Kyle Salisbury, Tristan Kent, Dylan Grose, Boone Cummings, Luke Young, Jeremy Hayes, and Jacob Mullins. We know you may not have always liked us, but we always tried to coach you to be the best you could become. We thank you for allowing us to be part of you. But, let’s get one more together.
