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Second half surge lifts Clark County to playoff win
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| Clark County’s Ethan Allen is grabbed by a Brookfield defender during Monday’s Class 2 playoff game. |
By Brad Cameron/Gate City Sports Editor
KAHOKA, Mo. - For the second consecutive playoff game, the Clark County Indians waited until the second half to put a team away.
Wednesday, Clark County outscored South Shelby 20-0 over the final two quarters for a 27-7 win in the Class 2 Regional. Monday, the Indians scored four second half touchdowns en route to a 32-6 win over Tri-Rivers Conference rival Brookfield in the Class 2 Sectional.
“Brookfield was living off of energy, and we never could swat them away,” said Clark County Head Coach Matt Smith. “They just hung around. It just took us a little longer than normal. We just couldn't finish anything in the first half.”
The outcome was much different than the first meeting between the two teams 11 days ago. Clark County scored 42 points in the first quarter and cruised to a 55-6 win over the Bulldogs in the final game of the regular season.
Monday, Clark County took the opening kickoff and marched to the Brookfield 10-yard line. Unfortunately, the drive ended when Colby Bailey intercepted an Ethan Allen pass in the end zone for a touchback.
“I believe if we take the opening kickoff and return it for a touchdown, the outcome would have been what you saw in the third and fourth quarters,” Smith said.
The Bulldogs forced Clark County to punt on its second possession and got an added bonus of scoring a disputed touchdown on special teams.
Clark County thought it had downed the punt by Bryan Plenge at the Brookfield 33. The Indians thought the play was over, but Austin Lindsay picked up the ball and ran 67 yards untouched for the touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead.
“I want to see in the fine print of the rule book where somebody has to have the ball in their hands holding it to have it downed,” Smith said. “I've been coaching football for 15-16 years and when a kid runs up and pats his hand on top of the ball and it is stopped on the ground, the play is over. All of our kids were off the field, and the kid just picked it up and started running. What made that kid decide to pick that ball up and start running, I don't know.”
The touchdown gave Brookfield momentum, which remained with the Bulldogs the rest of the half.
Clark County ran a majority of its offensive plays in Brookfield's end of the field, but the Bulldogs stopped the Indians twice on fourth down and forced a punt another time.
The defense, however, kept the Indians in the game. Brookfield finished with minus-5 yards of offense in the second quarter.
“Defense played tremendous throughout out the game,” Smith said. “Our problem was we were not as sharp offensively as we should have been.”
Clark County finally scored its first touchdown with 3:18 left in the second quarter. On third-and-12, Allen turned a quarterback draw into a 32-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 6-6.
The Indians had a chance to score at the end of the first half, but Brookfield stopped three consecutive running plays inside the five-yard line and time ran out with the ball on the Brookfield two.
“If anybody is at fault we didn't get a touchdown at the end of the half it is my fault,” Smith said. “The kids were doing what they needed to do. On that third down play I could have thrown the ball there, but we had just gashed them, and I knew the play we had called would work. Maybe I should have called a pass play, but you live and learn.”
Clark County outgained Brookfield 218-14 in the first half. The Bulldogs had just one first down in the first two quarters.
“It was one of those deals where I felt the kids were going to find a way to win the game,” Smith said.
The Indians found a way in the second half by giving the ball to Javis Vineyard running behind his talented offensive line.
“We decided to go double-tight, spread it out, give it to (Vineyard) and let the offensive line go to work,” Smith said.
Vineyard gained 43 yards on three consecutive carries to give Clark County the lead. On the final carry of the drive, Vineyard went 14 yards untouched while running through a big hole created by the right side of the line.
Vineyard extended the lead to 19-6 late in the third quarter. He found a hole and sprinted 94 yards for the touchdown.
Vineyard scored his final touchdown early in the fourth quarter on his final run of the game. The senior back started right, broke through tackles early in the play and spun out of another tackle 10 yards down the field. He crossed the field before diving into the end zone for a 47-yard touchdown run with 10:58 left in the game.
“That 94-yard run was pretty good and that final touchdown where he was doing all that spinning was pretty good,” Smith said. “He's a pretty special player.”
Vineyard ran for 181 yards on six carries in the second half and finished with 298 yards on 21 carries for the game.
Smith credits the offensive line for Vineyard's success.
“Zach Nixon, Michael Brennan, Neal Moon, Lynn Williams and Cori Seth, those five kids in my mind took the game over,” Smith said. “We used some tight ends and we got in some tight end sets with Bryan Plenge and Mason Owen getting involved in the blocking schemes a little bit, but those five kids took the game over and dominated the second half.”
Sophomore Justin Alderton added to Clark County's rushing totals in the fourth quarter. He carried the ball eight times on a nine-play drive and scored the final touchdown of the game on a one-yard run with 3:16 left.
Alderton finished with 51 yards on 10 carries. Allen had nine carries for 55 yards. He also completed 5-of-15 passes for 51 yards. All of those attempts came in the first half.
Plenge had three receptions for 30 yards, while Mason Owen and Matt Morrow each had one catch.
The defense held Brookfield to 65 yards of total offense. Allen and Zach Alderton each had an interception.
Wednesday, Clark County outscored South Shelby 20-0 over the final two quarters for a 27-7 win in the Class 2 Regional. Monday, the Indians scored four second half touchdowns en route to a 32-6 win over Tri-Rivers Conference rival Brookfield in the Class 2 Sectional.
“Brookfield was living off of energy, and we never could swat them away,” said Clark County Head Coach Matt Smith. “They just hung around. It just took us a little longer than normal. We just couldn't finish anything in the first half.”
The outcome was much different than the first meeting between the two teams 11 days ago. Clark County scored 42 points in the first quarter and cruised to a 55-6 win over the Bulldogs in the final game of the regular season.
Monday, Clark County took the opening kickoff and marched to the Brookfield 10-yard line. Unfortunately, the drive ended when Colby Bailey intercepted an Ethan Allen pass in the end zone for a touchback.
“I believe if we take the opening kickoff and return it for a touchdown, the outcome would have been what you saw in the third and fourth quarters,” Smith said.
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Clark County thought it had downed the punt by Bryan Plenge at the Brookfield 33. The Indians thought the play was over, but Austin Lindsay picked up the ball and ran 67 yards untouched for the touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead.
“I want to see in the fine print of the rule book where somebody has to have the ball in their hands holding it to have it downed,” Smith said. “I've been coaching football for 15-16 years and when a kid runs up and pats his hand on top of the ball and it is stopped on the ground, the play is over. All of our kids were off the field, and the kid just picked it up and started running. What made that kid decide to pick that ball up and start running, I don't know.”
The touchdown gave Brookfield momentum, which remained with the Bulldogs the rest of the half.
Clark County ran a majority of its offensive plays in Brookfield's end of the field, but the Bulldogs stopped the Indians twice on fourth down and forced a punt another time.
The defense, however, kept the Indians in the game. Brookfield finished with minus-5 yards of offense in the second quarter.
“Defense played tremendous throughout out the game,” Smith said. “Our problem was we were not as sharp offensively as we should have been.”
Clark County finally scored its first touchdown with 3:18 left in the second quarter. On third-and-12, Allen turned a quarterback draw into a 32-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 6-6.
The Indians had a chance to score at the end of the first half, but Brookfield stopped three consecutive running plays inside the five-yard line and time ran out with the ball on the Brookfield two.
“If anybody is at fault we didn't get a touchdown at the end of the half it is my fault,” Smith said. “The kids were doing what they needed to do. On that third down play I could have thrown the ball there, but we had just gashed them, and I knew the play we had called would work. Maybe I should have called a pass play, but you live and learn.”
Clark County outgained Brookfield 218-14 in the first half. The Bulldogs had just one first down in the first two quarters.
“It was one of those deals where I felt the kids were going to find a way to win the game,” Smith said.
The Indians found a way in the second half by giving the ball to Javis Vineyard running behind his talented offensive line.
“We decided to go double-tight, spread it out, give it to (Vineyard) and let the offensive line go to work,” Smith said.
Vineyard gained 43 yards on three consecutive carries to give Clark County the lead. On the final carry of the drive, Vineyard went 14 yards untouched while running through a big hole created by the right side of the line.
Vineyard extended the lead to 19-6 late in the third quarter. He found a hole and sprinted 94 yards for the touchdown.
Vineyard scored his final touchdown early in the fourth quarter on his final run of the game. The senior back started right, broke through tackles early in the play and spun out of another tackle 10 yards down the field. He crossed the field before diving into the end zone for a 47-yard touchdown run with 10:58 left in the game.
“That 94-yard run was pretty good and that final touchdown where he was doing all that spinning was pretty good,” Smith said. “He's a pretty special player.”
Vineyard ran for 181 yards on six carries in the second half and finished with 298 yards on 21 carries for the game.
Smith credits the offensive line for Vineyard's success.
“Zach Nixon, Michael Brennan, Neal Moon, Lynn Williams and Cori Seth, those five kids in my mind took the game over,” Smith said. “We used some tight ends and we got in some tight end sets with Bryan Plenge and Mason Owen getting involved in the blocking schemes a little bit, but those five kids took the game over and dominated the second half.”
Sophomore Justin Alderton added to Clark County's rushing totals in the fourth quarter. He carried the ball eight times on a nine-play drive and scored the final touchdown of the game on a one-yard run with 3:16 left.
Alderton finished with 51 yards on 10 carries. Allen had nine carries for 55 yards. He also completed 5-of-15 passes for 51 yards. All of those attempts came in the first half.
Plenge had three receptions for 30 yards, while Mason Owen and Matt Morrow each had one catch.
The defense held Brookfield to 65 yards of total offense. Allen and Zach Alderton each had an interception.
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| Indians to host Blair Oaks Saturday |
