ELIZABETHTOWN – Junior Kris Williams returned a pass interception 95 yards for the clinching touchdown with 3:49 remaining as Clinton held on for a 19-7 Four County Conference football victory over East Bladen.
With Clinton leading 12-7, East Bladen’s Eian Hines yanked the ball out of the grasp of a Dark Horse runner to give the Eagles possession at the Clinton 45 yardline with 5:55 on the clock.
A pass interference penalty moved the ball to the Dark Horse 30, but on fourth down from the 27, Williams made the leaping interception and raced 95 yards down the right sideline. Shamar Smith added the extra point kick for the 19-7 lead.
The Dark Horses recovered the ensuing on-side kick to retain possession and ran out the clock.
Clinton drove 52 yards in 7 plays on their opening drive to take a 6-0 lead. Williams who doubles as the Dark Horse quarterback kept the ball around right end and scampered 16 yards for the touchdown. Shamar Smith’s conversion kick was wide left.
Eian Hines reeled in an over-the-shoulder catch on a punt and returned the ball 38 yards to the Clinton 41 yardline to give the Eagles their first scoring threat, but the Clinton defense held on downs at the 34.
Williams flipped a dump-off pass to senior back Ryheim Skinner who bolted 33 yards to start a 56-yard Clinton drive in the second quarter. Another swing pass to Skinner picked up 22 more yards, but Eagle senior Kyle Tatum dove on a Dark Horse fumble at the East Bladen 14 yardline.
On Clinton’s next possession, Eian Hines darted in front of a Dark Horse receiver to pick off a pass and returned it 28 yards. A personal foul penalty was tacked on the end of the return and moved the ball to the Clinton 15.
Junior quarterback Quinton Bedsole hurled a 15-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Hines, Eian’s twin brother. Ethan Hines caught the ball inside the 5-yard line and scooted into the end one for the score. Sophmore Pierce Melvin split the uprights with the conversion and put East Bladen ahead 7-6 with 38 seconds left in the half.
Clinton opened the second half with a 59-yard touchdown drive in just 3 plays. Sophmore Jalen Smith, a 254-pound fullback, powered off the left side for 29 yards, before Skinner carried 26 yards for the touchdown. The conversion run failed and Clinton led 12-7 with 10:35 left in the third period.
The Dark Horses ground out a 49-yard, 11-play drive on their next possession but were stopped on downs at the Eagle 8 yardline.
Early in the final quarter, Eagle junior Xavier Wooten made a diving interception of a Clinton pass at midfield.
With 2 pass interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries, the Eagles finished the night with 4 take-aways. “The defense did a heck of a job,” said East Bladen Coach Robby Priest. “They are really coming along. Eian stepped up big for us tonight (with 2 take-aways).”
The Eagle offense was limited to 34 yards rushing and 50 total yards. “They have got a really good defense,” continued Coach Priest. “They are really good. If they don’t represent the East in the (Class 2A) State Championship, something’s wrong.”
Bedsole completed 2 of 6 passes for 16 yards and a touchdown. Ethan Hines rushed 10 times for 19 yards and caught 2 passes for 16 yards and a touchdown.
Jalen Smith ran 19 times for 108 yards, and Skinner carried 18 times for 95 yards and a touchdown. Skinner also caught 2 passes for 55 yards. Williams completed 3 of 4 passes for 58 yards but suffered 2 interceptions.
Clinton, the No. 2 Class 2A team in the state, improves to 2-0 in the league and 6-0 overall. East Bladen is now 1-1 in the league and 3-3 overall. The Eagles will travel to Pender Friday night.
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