CLINTON — The champs are out
Behind the rushing attack of Akers and a key interception by Kam White with 1 minute, 48 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Clinton High School football team outlasted Starkville 35-28 Friday night to clinch the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A, Region 2 title at Arrow Field.
With the win, Clinton (10-1, 6-1 Region 2-6A) will play host to Hernando in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs next week.
But first there was drama.
Down 28-20 with 10:19 left in the fourth quarter, Starkville drove down and scored on a Willie Gay 5-yard touchdown and Gay would score on the ensuing two-point conversion that tied the game with 4:03 remaining.
Clinton would answer five plays later on a Cam Akers 58-yard touchdown run that put the Arrows up 35-28 with 2:35 remaining.
Iowa State commit Kam’Ron White intercepted a Willie Gay pass at the Clinton 26-yard line to seal it.
“I am so proud of the guys for fighting. Starkville had their backs against the wall and they played hard,” said Clinton coach Judd Boswell. “Defense played great against a very good player in Willie Gay. That joker is the real deal.”
Cam Akers finished the night with 192 yards rushing on 19 carries with three touchdowns. He also went 10 of 13 passing for 159 yards with two touchdowns.
In his final game in a Starkville uniform, Willie Gay finished with 249 yards rushing on 42 carries and scored four touchdowns.
“Both teams played hard. It’s just we didn’t score the last touchdown, and that’s what he came down to,” Starkville coach Ricky Woods said. “There was five good teams in our district and we’re the ones left out.”
For the first time since the MHSAA moved to six classifications the reigning 6A state champions won’t make the playoffs.
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