McClain dominates East Clinton with 54-point shutout win

GREENFIELD — Winning for the third time in four games this season, the McClain Tigers controlled every aspect of their non-conference showdown with the East Clinton Astros on Friday night. 

The Week 4 game saw the Tigers not only shut out the visiting Astros, but they did so with a very strong and dominant effort at McClain Field with the Tigers winning by a 54-0 score over East Clinton (0-4), all while having the running clock for the entire second half. 

MHS led 20-0 after the first quarter and 41-0 at halftime, then added 13 more points in the second half. 

“I thought we did a really nice job up front and a nice job opening up holes. Jordan Bell had a really good night,” MHS head coach Keith Penwell said. “They (East Clinton) were bringing two guys off the edge on both sides and trying to keep Hudson (Lovett) in the pocket and the middle was open. Jordan took advantage, and the offensive line did a great job. 

“Hudson also did a really nice job making some nice passes, and he had a couple good runs. He’s been doing that all year. I’m proud of our defense. We broke down on coverage again, and we can’t let that happen. That was a big play for (East Clinton), but we got a stop inside the 10. Our young guys, I’m proud of them too. They came in with their backs against the wall and got a stop too. It was a good night.”

McClain (3-1) scored points on their first possession of the game as the 65-yard drive included a 21-yard rush by quarterback Hudson Lovett, then later in the same drive, the sophomore QB had an 11-yard rush. That carry was followed with a run of 16 yards by Jordan Bell, and the drive ended with Lovett passing to Leland Bond for a 28-yard touchdown with 10:04 left in the first quarter. The PAT was no good, leaving the score at 6-0. 

The Tigers defense forced a punt on a three-and-out, and after the Astros’ punt only went a few yards, the Tigers began their second drive on the EC 31-yard line. The scoring drive took just two plays, with Bell rushing for 12 yards, and the scoring play was a Lovett pass to Brady Binegar for a 19-yard touchdown with 7:37 left in the opening quarter. 

Then a unique string of three consecutive offsides (encroachment) penalties were called on the Astros before a snap was made on the Tigers’ 2-point conversion attempt. On the fourth try, the Tigers were in the end zone with two more points to their total, as lineman Noah Sponcil barreled his way through the ECHS special teams as a running back for a 14-0 MHS lead. 

The Astros put together one of their better drives of the game when they received possession following the kickoff, as they reached the 13-yard line of McClain, but a forced fumble by Sponcil, which was recovered by Isaac Morgan, saw him return the ball to the ECHS 16-yard line with 4:02 left in the first quarter. 

On the first play of the ensuing drive, the Tigers were back to scoring points with Lovett finding Bond for a 16-yard touchdown with 3:56 left on the first-quarter clock. The 2-point attempt failed, leaving McClain ahead by 20 points at 20-0. 

Again, the Tigers’ defense stood their ground and forced a three-and-out, and McClain’s offense did what they did most of the game, and that was score points. With 11:56 left in the second quarter, the Tigers increased their lead to 28 points with a 5-yard touchdown run by Bell on second-and-goal. A pass to Eli Douglas on the 2-point conversion pushed McClain’s lead to the aforementioned 28 points. The scoring drive also saw a 13-yard run by Bell and a run of 25 yards by Morgan. 

Another three-and-out forced by McClain’s defense (including forcing a fumble during the drive) saw MHS regain possession of the ball on their ECHS 32-yard line. Taking only one play, a screen pass by Lovett to Bell resulted in a 32-yard touchdown play with 10:04 left in the second quarter. Bentley Marsh made the PAT to put McClain ahead by 35 points. 

The Tigers scored one final time in the first half, as a three-play dive that began on their own 48-yard line ended with six points when a run by Landon McNeal went for a 37-yard touchdown with 6:54 left on the second-quarter clock. The 2-point attempt failed, giving McClain a lead of 41 points. 

East Clinton’s best drive saw them at the start of the third quarter complete a 58-yard pass from Emery Pauley to Colt Jamison, taking the ball from the ECHS 34-yard line all the way to McClain’s 8-yard line. 

East Clinton rushed the ball on three straight plays, putting them on a fourth-and-goal from the 9-yard line where they threw an incomplete pass. 

The turnover on downs gave MHS possession of the ball on their own 10-yard line, and again, McClain was eventually back celebrating another touchdown. This time, it was a 4-yard run by Bell on first-and-goal with 2:00 left in the third quarter. The PAT was blocked for a 47-0 lead by the home team Tigers. 

With 1:02 left in the third, a situation occurred where a MHS player was ejected and both teams had personal fouls called on them. The drive eventually ended with McClain recovering a fumble with 22 seconds left in the quarter. 

MHS scored their final touchdown on the ensuing drive when on second-and-goal, Morgan scored a six-yard touchdown on a run with 8:14 on the fourth-quarter clock. The PAT by Marsh was good, giving the Tigers their final 54-0 lead. 

McClain’s win moves them to 3-1 overall, as they have one final non-conference game remaining on the schedule. In Week 5 on Friday, Sept. 19, the McClain Tigers will travel to face the Williamsburg Wildcats (4-0) at 7 p.m. 

BOX SCORE
ECHS    00 00 00 00 — 00
MHS      20 21 06 07 — 54

(Individual stats and a photo gallery will be added on Saturday afternoon/evening.)