Clay has been away from home for three games now, but on Friday they'll finally make their return. They will host the Columbia Tigers at 7:00 p.m. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Clay will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up six points last Monday, then bounced right back against Fernandina Beach on Friday. Clay blew past Fernandina Beach, posting a 45-14 victory on the road. The Blue Devils pushed the score to 45-7 by the end of the third, a deficit the Pirates cut but never quite recovered from.
Clay's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Landon Martin, who threw for 142 yards and three touchdowns while completing 76.5% of his passes, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Antonio Thomas was Martin's top target, picking up 78 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Clay's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB 8.5 times. The heavy lifting was done by Aaron Stacy and Javaris Roberts, who racked up five sacks between them. Roberts is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last 18 games he's played dating back to last season. Clay got some further help from Dominic Swilley: he picked up 1.5 sacks and made seven total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Columbia). They simply couldn't be stopped last Friday as they easily beat Ridgeview 56-0 at home. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Tigers as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.
Columbia found their leader in underclassman Christopher Jordan, who picked up three sacks and made five total tackles (4.0 for loss). Jerome Horne was in the mix as well, providing Columbia with two touchdowns.
Columbia didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Vondarius Lane and Dajon Brown. Jordan was another major factor on D, picking up three sacks and making five total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Clay's win bumped their record up to 3-5. As for Columbia, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 3-5.
Friday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Clay has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 153.9 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Columbia, though, as they've been averaging only 94. How will they fare against such a dominant running game? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
