Arrows hoping to make another championship run this season
By Danny C. Davis
A year ago, the Clinton Arrows celebrated 100 years of playing football with a most unusual playoff run. Clinton had not made the playoffs since the Cam Akers Class 6A Championship season in 2016. But, in the end, the Arrows in the COVID-19 2020 season ended the season just one play short of playing again in the Class 6A championship game. After starting the season 1-2, the Arrows reeled off seven straight wins, claiming the Region 2-6A championship, advancing all the way to the North Class 6A championship game before falling to Oxford 31-27.
Going into this season, the Arrows, ranked as high as #6 statewide in some preseason polls, are hoping they can get back in a championship run again.
Arrows head coach Judd Boswell, starting his tenth year at CHS, feels good about his 2021 squad.
“We have back-to-back-to-back classes that won championships in the ninth grade,” said Boswell. “We’re going to approach this season just like last year, just with some different players in the positions.”
“This is the biggest team size-wise that I have ever coached in my twenty years of coaching. Our offensive and defensive line has some very big guys that will start this season.”
One thing for sure is that the landscape will definitely change this year for the Arrows, after recent reclassification by MHSSA. For the first time since 1984, Clinton will not play old-time rival Warren Central, as the Vikings were moved to Region 3-6A in the south. CHS had played the Vikings every year since WCHS opened in 1965, except for 1984. But Region 2-6A is much tougher this year, with the addition of 2019 Class 6A state champion Oxford, traditional north Mississippi powerhouse Tupelo and the addition of Grenada. Perennial state champion Starkville is still in the district, along with arch rival Madison Central, Germantown, who has two Dandy Dozen selections as the top players in the state, and Jackson Murrah.
CHS opens the season on the road at Ocean Springs, who is predicted to win Region 4-6A, on Thursday August 26, followed by Brandon at home and Northwest Rankin on the road. Clinton opens Region 2-6A play at home against Germantown on September 24.
“Our schedule, like past years is the toughest in the state,” said Boswell. “But we like playing a tough schedule early on to prepare us for region play.”
“Our success this season all comes down to if our team can play together, and it all falls to our team chemistry — and if we can play well on the road in some very hostile environments. We were fortunate last year to avoid COVID problems and play every game that was scheduled. If we can stay safe and avoid injuries, we will have a chance to have a very good team, like we did last year,” said Boswell.
