By By Jeff Byrd / staff writer
Oct. 16, 2002
The "monumental" win over Newton is over. It was back to business on Monday and Tuesday for the Clarkdale Bulldog football team.
Last week's 17-7 victory over 10th-ranked and traditional Class 2A power Newton does put the Bulldogs atop Region 5-2A along with unbeaten Scott Central. Both teams are 2-0 in the league heading into this week's games.
Newton, which had entered the Clarkdale game at 5-1, is now a game back in third at 1-1 and 5-2 overall.
The big thing for Clarkdale now is that if the Bulldogs can maintain focus and beat the region's current No. 4 and No. 6 teams, the 5-2 Bulldogs would host a first round Class 2A playoff game. Just two years ago, just mentioning playoffs and Clarkdale football in the same sentence, would bring snickers.
Not any more. Newton found that out last week.
On offense, the Bulldogs wanted to get first downs and keep the ball away.
:Just move the chains," Hathorn added. "What helped is that we scored two touchdowns in the first half. Then we got the big field goal late."
There were other big plays and wingback/corner Quinn Moffitte was in on a lot of them.
Before that, there were runs of 33 and 41 yards. The latter accounted for Clarkdale's first touchdown.
When Newton scored to tie the game at 7-7, Clarkdale answered with an 11-play, 67-yard drive, capped by a 3-yard TD run by Kevin Matthews.
It stayed 14-7 until late in the fourth quarter when the Bulldogs sealed it on a 21-yard field goal by David Prewitt.
Matthews finished with 101 yards rushing off 22 carries. Moffitte added 87. Hathorn credited the team's offensive line for responding to the challenge.
This week, Clarkdale heads back on the road to face Kemper County. The Wildcats, 1-6, are coming off their first win of the season after pounding winless Willams-Sullivan, 42-6.