Football Preview: Clinton Red Devils vs. Batesburg-Leesville Panthers
Clinton is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Batesburg-Leesville is on a six-game streak of away wins (dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Clinton Red Devils will welcome the Batesburg-Leesville Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Clinton is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They really took it to Chester for the full four quarters, racking up a 48-20 victory. With the Red Devils ahead 28-6 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Rhett Gilliam and Javen Cook. Gilliam rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.3 yards per carry while Cook rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries. Those 165 rushing yards gave Gilliam a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Tushawan Richardson, who rushed for 18 yards and a touchdown.
Clinton didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Brett Young and Austin Boyd. Young is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last 16 games he's played dating back to last season.
Clinton was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 432 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 276 rushing yards in six consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Batesburg-Leesville humbled Andrew Jackson with a 49-14 victory. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 46th, while the Volunteers are ranked 127th), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Clinton's win bumped their record up to 9-2. As for Batesburg-Leesville, their victory bumped their record up to 12-0.
Clinton took their win against Batesburg-Leesville in their previous meeting back in August of 2023 by a conclusive 50-28. In that match, Clinton amassed a halftime lead of 43-7, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
