Football Season Starts in Clinton

By Danny C. Davis

The 2023 season has not started the way the Clinton Arrows had hoped it would. Clinton fell 28-7 at Vicksburg against Warren Central in the season opener, and the Arrows lost to the Northwest Rankin Cougars 21-14 in the home opener on September 1.

The opening two losses marked the first time since 2010 that CHS was 0-2 after the first two games.

The next three games get no easier for the Arrows. CHS travels to 2022 Class 6 champion runner-up Brandon on September 8, and then makes a long trip to Grenada on September 15 before returning to Arrow Field on September 22 to host South Panola.

“We are very inexperienced right now,” said twelve-year Arrow head coach Judd Boswell. “We have sixteen players starting for us the first time, and it is going to take some time. Our goal is to improve every week. We have four more games to figure it out by October 13, when we start region play.”

Clinton had their chances against Northwest Rankin.

CHS scored on their first possession on an 80-yard drive, capped by senior transfer QB Sam Semi’s 14-yard run and, along with kicker Hayden Wolfe’s extra point, took a 7-0 lead.

But NWR scored 21 unanswered points to take a fourth-period lead. Clinton did not have another successful drive until early in the final quarter. Clinton made it 21-14 on JakobeWilliams’ 6-yard run with nine minutes left. That is as close as the Arrows would get. Clinton moved downfield to the Cougar 30 and looked good, until Semi was intercepted with five and a half minutes left.

At Warren Central, the Arrows turned it over five times, and three of those turnovers led to touchdowns by the Vikings.
Warren Central led 28-0 at the half, but the Arrow defense shut the Vikings’ offense down the second half, and the Arrows finally scored on Williams’ short run late in the fourth quarter to make it 28-7.

 

CCA Warriors get first win of the season

By Danny C. Davis

The Clinton Christian Academy football team started the season with a couple of tough losses to tough competition.

But the Warriors got their first win of the season at home on Northside Drive on September 1, defeating Riverside Academy 41-6.

CCA played defending MAIS Class 4A state champion Greenville St. Joe at Greenville and fell 16-0 to open the season.

Game two was against another tough competitor, Madison St. Joe, who competes in MAIS Class 6A.

CCA fell 30-6 to the Bruins.

“Our defense played well the first two games against two of the tougher teams on our schedule,” said first-year Warrior head coach Teddy Dyess. “We started a little slower on offense. A lot of that was learning our new system.”

The Warriors have an open date on September 9. On September 15, CCA travels to Vicksburg to play St. Aloysius. Their next home game will be against Winston Academy on September 22.