Clay County has enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Whitwell Tigers on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Clay County is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. Everything went their way against Sale Creek as Clay County made off with a 28-7 win. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee football rankings (they are ranked 112th, while the Panthers are ranked 270th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Clay County's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ayden Soto, who rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown, and also picked up 47 receiving yards. Another pass catcher making a difference was Lance Burchette, who picked up 185 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, after only seven points in their last match, Whitwell made sure to put some points up on the board against Jo Byrns on Friday. Whitwell simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Jo Byrns 52-14. The team ran away with 50 points in the first half and mostly just sat on those to pick up the win.
Whitwell's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Bennett Mcdougal led the charge by throwing for 176 yards and four touchdowns while completing 77.8% of his passes, and also rushing for 33 yards. Brandon Easterly was another key player, gaining 65 total yards and three touchdowns.
Clay County's victory was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-2. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 39.6 points per game. As for Whitwell, their win bumped their record up to 8-3.
Friday's game will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Nate Adams and Easterly. Adams just won't slow down this season and has thrown 36 touchdowns while averaging 258.1 passing yards per game. Easterly has been a dominant force too and has run in 16 touchdowns while averaging 97.7 rushing yards per game.
Everything came up roses for Clay County against Whitwell in their previous matchup back in November of 2022, as the squad secured a 46-6 victory. In that contest, Clay County amassed a halftime lead of 26-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
