Arrows fall in heartbreaker at Oxford, 24-22

By Danny C. Davis

With only three games left, the Clinton Arrows are still in the mix for a playoff spot when the MHSAA Class 6A playoffs begin on November 10. But things for the Arrows in Region 2-6A got a little harder after a last-second heartbreaking loss at Oxford on October 14.

Clinton will host Grenada for homecoming on October 21, then travels to undefeated Tupelo before closing out at home against Jackson Murrah. CHS, 3-1 in Region 2-6A, most likely needs wins in two of the last three games to secure a playoff spot – and possibly some help from other region opponents.

Clinton made their first trip in history to Oxford and lost 24-22 on a Charger field goal at the final buzzer. The game was marred by three questionable calls late in the game that affected the outcome. Clinton had two touchdowns called back – one at the end of the third period, and the other in the final period – and Oxford’s winning field goal was set up by a pass reception to get in the field goal range that appeared out of bounds.

“It was a tough road loss for us, and I feel bad for our kids that played so hard tonight,” said Arrow head coach Judd Boswell. “We had a lot of calls late in the game that went against us. and we can’t do anything about that now but ask our players to stay positive and play our best these final three games and see what happens.”

In the first half, Arrow QB Jordyn Battee threw touchdown passes to Kyler Hutton for 22 yards and Veshone Malone for 30 yards.

Clinton trailed 15-13 at the half after a missed 2-point conversation but came out strong in the second half. Oxford only had the ball five plays in the third period. The Chargers did not have an offensive touchdown in the second half.

The controversy started late in the third period when Clinton, leading 16-13, after Hayden Wolfe’s 23-yard field goal, led 16-15. The Arrows appeared to take a 21-15 lead when Battee threw a 20-yard swing TD pass to Jakobe Calvin. But a late flag ruled offensive holding and nullified the TD. On the next play, Battee threw a pick 6 interception that went 70 yards for a TD. That represented a 14-point turnaround.

Four minutes later, Battee hit Hutton for an apparent 52-yard touchdown to take the lead back, but again a late flag nullified the touchdown for holding.

But Clinton came back behind Juan Taylor’s 30-yard run, and Calvin scored on a three-yard run to take a 22-21 lead with 1:34 left.

Oxford, aided by the questionable completion, got the last-second field goal to deal the Arrows the tough road loss.

On October 7, Clinton pulled an October surprise, getting their first win over rival Madison Central since 2016, defeating the Jaguars 38-31 to go 3-0 in Region 2-6A. With the win, the Arrows snapped Madison Central’s 14-game home winning streak that dated back to October 24, 2019.

With the win, the Arrows cracked the Top 10 polls at #5 for the first time since the beginning of the 2017 season.

Clinton trailed 17-9 at the half, but outscored the Jaguars 29-14 in the final two quarters with an explosive running game and by controlling the clock. The Arrows led in time of possession with 32 minutes to 16 minutes for MCHS. Behind senior running back Calvin, who had 28 carries for 175 yards, the Arrows outgained MCHS with 449 yards of offense, compared to 321 yards. Clinton had right at 300 yards of offense in the second half.

Early on, things were not clicking for the Arrow defense, who gave up two long drives to MCHS, who led 10-0 with five minutes left in the first quarter. Clinton came back with a 34-yard field goal by kicker Wolfe and a yard TD run by Calvin to make it 10-9 with five minutes left in the first half after a blocked extra point by the Jags. MCHS went up 17-9 on Jake Norris’ second TD run of three yards with two minutes left in the half.

After that, it was pretty much Clinton the final half of the game. The Arrows took the second half kickoff and ran five and a half minutes of the clock to score. Calvin’s five-yard TD run capped a ten-play, 66-yard drive to make it 17-16 with six and a half minutes left in the third period. Then Clinton forced MCHS QB Vic Sutton to fumble after the exchange to give CHS possession at the Arrow 47. Eight plays later, Arrow senior QB Jordyn Battee electrified the crowd with a 19-yard run down the sidelines to score and put CHS ahead for the first time of the night, 23-17, with just under two minutes left in the third. Norris’s two-yard TD run with eight seconds left in the third put the Jags back ahead 24-23.

A wild final period started with Battee ‘s 45-yard TD pass to a wide open Malone to score and give Clinton the lead for good, 30-24, with 10:38 remaining. Clinton continued to run the clock and pound the Jags on the ground.

“I got open, and Jordyn put it right on the money,” said Malone, a junior. “This was just a team win. The line blocked well, and our defense stopped Madison Central when we had to have it.”

Calvin’s 17-yard run to score with four minutes left, along with Battee’s two-point conversion pass to Derek Scott gave CHS a fourteen point cushion.

“Class 6A football is tough every week,” said Battee. “We did not play well the first half. Coach Boswell challenged us at half time. He gave us an option to get on the bus and go home, or go out and find a way to win – and that is what we did.”

Sutton’s 18-yard pass to Isaiah Spencer with 1:55 left made it 38-31.

It was then that Taylor made a couple of big plays for CHS to help seal the win. After Taylor recovered the on-side kick, the Arrows faced a fourth down and one at the Jaguar 46 with 58 seconds left. Taylor carried for eight for a first down at the MCHS 38, and the Arrows ran the clock out to get the historic win at Madison.

“We knew we had to stop the run, and that is what we were able to do tonight,” said defensive lineman Kenneth Andrews.

“Jokobe and Juan and Jordyn all made big plays tonight, and our offensive line blocked well,” said Clinton offensive coach Tyler Peterson.

“I am proud of our team and how they played tonight,” said Boswell. “We still have a long way to go, but it’s very tough to start 3-0 on Region 2-6A. We’ve got to put this behind us and get ready for four more district games.”