September 19- Claiborne High was the location for the football battle between the Bulldogs and the visiting Longhorns of Johnson County.
Claiborne kicked off and forced Johson County to eight downs and out, finishing on the Bulldogs 30. Claiborne took over, ran the football, and advanced the ball on the ground with Colton Brewer, Aden Roark, and Kaden Lovin. A Lovin pass to Chris Ford set the Dogs up in the Longhorn red zone. The Bulldogs drive ended with a Roark touchdown run with one minute left in first. The point after was good, 7-0 Claiborne. The first quarter ended with Claiborne leading 7-0.
At 11:13 in the second quarter, Johnson County scored their first of the night, but the conversion failed, 7-6. Claiborne then started on their own 44 and started a drive that ended in a bomb from Lovin to Ford for the touchdown. The point after was good, 14-6.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Longhorns fumbled, and Claiborne recovered on their own 46; however, the Bulldogs drive stalled, and the first half ended with the Bulldogs leading, 14-6.
The Claiborne High School Blue Battalion and the Johnson County bands performed at halftime.
Coming out of the break, Claiborne received the kickoff. On third down, Johnson County picked off a Claiborne pass and started their next drive on their Bulldogs 38, but a high snap took the Longhorns back to their own 46. Facing a fourth and 26, Johnson County elected to punt, and the Dogs started on their 20.
On the second play of the drive, Roark left the game with a side injury. The Bulldogs were forced to punt, and Roark re-entered the game to punt. The snap was high, and the Longhorns’ gift set their offense on the Dogs nine. A quarterback keeper scored for the Longhorns, and they needed the conversion to tie. The conversion failed, 14-12.
The Bulldogs defense made a stop and gave the ball back to their offense on their own 14-yard line. Roark and Wyatt Hall moved the ball on the ground, just before the third quarter ended 14-12. The offense stayed on the field on a fourth and four but failed to convert.
Johnson County had the ball near midfield. Plays later, a fumble by Johnson County ended their drive. A lower leg injury to Eli Keck stopped the clock with 9:54 remaining and
this Bulldog drive ended over on downs at the Longhorns, 32.
The Bulldogs’ defense forced a fourth and eight on the Longhorns’ next drive but allowed a pass across the middle that ended at the one-yard line. A first and goal failed, but on second and goal, the Longhorns took their first lead at 18-14. The conversion failed.
Claiborne had 2:13 left to get a go-ahead touchdown; however, the game stopped due to an injury to Roark. Roark was courageously tough after leaving the game earlier and coming back in. The Bulldogs moved the ball through the air, but Claiborne didn’t get a key pass interference call with less than a minute remaining, where the defender grabbed the facemask before the ball arrived and didn’t turn around to make a play on the ball. It was not called, and the Johnson County defense sealed their comeback win, 18-14.
After the game Coach Lee talked with The Zone about his team’s effort. “We played like a football team today, we ran the football well, but it takes four quarters to win a game, not just two. We have to face adversity better next time.” Lee went on to talk about some of the calls the team had to battle through, “Not everything in life goes your way, and sometimes life knocks you down. We had some questionable officiating tonight, but we know our kids have to keep fighting.”
Claiborne travels to Gatlinburg-Pittman next Friday.
The Danny England co-offensive players of the game were Kaden Lovin and Chris Ford.
The Whitaker Insurance Defensive player of the Game was Owen Stone with three key pass break-ups.
Here are a few photos from the game:
