Clinton-Massie 'moves on' in playoffs; defeats Miami Trace
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
CLARKSVILLE — Following their 35-21 victory over the Miami Trace Panthers in the opening round of the Division IV football playoffs, Clinton-Massie head coach Dan McSurley told his team it was time to "move on."
The game between these two South Central Ohio League rivals was a far difference from their first meeting a few weeks ago, as the Panthers kept the defending Div. IV State champions within reach all game long, but the Falcons were able to answer every challenge.
"I knew it was going to be like this," McSurley said following the Falcons' sixth straight postseason victory dating back to last season. "It is tough to play a team you already played. They (MT) really did a nice job of scheming to stop what we were able to do in the first game.
"We had to be creative out there and adapted."
One of the adaptations for the Falcons was using their passing game to make a difference.
"Hunter (Fentress) made some really nice, key big plays, and of course, Dylan (Rose) made some nice catches. We obviously executed a little bit in the passing game. That came up big for us.
"Again, I knew it was going to be a tough game. It's tough to beat a team two times, especially against a fine program like Miami Trace and against a great coaching staff. We're happy to move on, and we're going to learn from our mistakes and get ready for next week."
The game didn't go as planned for the Falcons on their first three offensive drives, as the Panthers (7-4) were able to force a turnover on downs twice, followed by a punt.
With the offense unable to get things in gear, the defense of the Falcons was able to get the momentum on the Falcons' side. Josh Loud intercepted a pass by the Panthers with 9:09 left in the second quarter, with both teams being held scoreless in the opening quarter.
"Massie is a good football team, and we wish them well down the road," MT head coach Steve Bartlett said. "Our kids played hard, they hung in there and their goal was to come down here and make sure Clinton-Massie knew we were the Panthers, and I think they did."
Drive No. 4 for the home team was what the Falcons needed to reach pay dirt. Starting from their own 20-yard line following the interception, a play of a 16-yard run by Bayle Wolf and a 15-yard completion from Fentress to Wolf eventually led the Falcons to the first touchdown of the game.
That score came with 7:05 left in the first half as Fentress raced 47 yards to the end zone from an angle to the left side of the end zone. The PAT by Callum Jones put CM ahead. 7-0.
CM did what they do best on their next drive, taking a 14-0 lead when Fentress found Rose for a 26-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone, with Rose leaping for the catch in one-on-one coverage, leaving 3:17 on the first-half clock. Jones converted the PAT for the 14-point lead.
The Panthers didn't want a repeat of their first meeting where they lost 42-7 in the regular season, so they answered the scores by the Falcons with one of their own two plays later.
The MT touchdown came with 2:58 left in the second quarter when Trevor Haines broke through a pile of players and straight to the end zone, taking the ball 73 yards for six points. The PAT by Blake Pittser cut the Falcons' lead in half at 14-7.
[[In-content Ad]]But remember, this is Clinton-Massie, and any amount of time is enough for them to make an impact, and that's what they did in the final seconds of the first half.
Regaining possession with 2:52 left in the second frame, the host Falcons were in the end zone with 55.2 left on the clock, regaining their 14-point advantage when Fentress found Wesley Hewitt in the end zone from around 20 yards away, wide-open for six points. The converted PAT put the Falcons ahead, 21-7 headed into halftime.
The playoff battle between the two SCOL rivals turned into a one-score game when the Panthers opened the third quarter with a five-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 46-yard run by Haines with 10:22 left in the quarter, taking the ball through a bundle of defensive players to the right side of the end zone. The PAT made the score 21-14.
Again, the Falcons were there to answer, though they carefully pieced together the ensuing drive that went 12 plays and 68 yards. The drive was capped off with a 1-yard run by Bayle Wolf with 4:05 left in the third. The drive began with around 10:22 left in the quarter.
In this scoring drive by the Falcons, they faced a fourth-and-one on the 50-yard line. Lining up in a punt formation, they perfectly executed a fake punt when Davey Tunon caught the snap and went 40 yards to the 10-yard line, setting up the eventual touchdown, making it a 28-14 advantage.
"I thought our special teams played well, and our returns were really nice. The fake punt by Davey got some momentum going," McSurley said. "That was a critical situation in the game."
MT came back with a touchdown of their own with Austin Dyer going 49 yards for a TD, leaving just 39.3 seconds left in the third, for what would be their final score of the 2013 season.
"We're real proud we were able to get to the playoffs," Bartlett said. "We're really happy for the kids, and we're happy for the school and the fans.
"Now we have to take the program a step further. Our kids played hard … we can't ask for more than what our kids gave. I'm proud of them. We just came up short."
The final score of the game came when the Falcons scored a 29-yard touchdown off the combo of Fentress to Rose with 7:16 left in the game. The catch was one where Rose had coverage on him in the end zone, the ball was tipped, and while falling, Rose was able to catch the ball for six points.
"(Answering their scores) … that was key," McSurley said. "They got some momentum going, got to within one score and we came right back down and scores.
"It's the playoffs … you are going to get everyone's best, and we are just happy to move on."
The Falcons will play in the second round of the Region 14 playoffs on Friday, Nov. 15 when they will face the winner of No. 3 Cincinnati Archbishop McNichols (8-2) and No. 6 Urbana (10-0) who play each other Saturday, Nov. 9.
The game between these two South Central Ohio League rivals was a far difference from their first meeting a few weeks ago, as the Panthers kept the defending Div. IV State champions within reach all game long, but the Falcons were able to answer every challenge.
"I knew it was going to be like this," McSurley said following the Falcons' sixth straight postseason victory dating back to last season. "It is tough to play a team you already played. They (MT) really did a nice job of scheming to stop what we were able to do in the first game.
"We had to be creative out there and adapted."
One of the adaptations for the Falcons was using their passing game to make a difference.
"Hunter (Fentress) made some really nice, key big plays, and of course, Dylan (Rose) made some nice catches. We obviously executed a little bit in the passing game. That came up big for us.
"Again, I knew it was going to be a tough game. It's tough to beat a team two times, especially against a fine program like Miami Trace and against a great coaching staff. We're happy to move on, and we're going to learn from our mistakes and get ready for next week."
The game didn't go as planned for the Falcons on their first three offensive drives, as the Panthers (7-4) were able to force a turnover on downs twice, followed by a punt.
With the offense unable to get things in gear, the defense of the Falcons was able to get the momentum on the Falcons' side. Josh Loud intercepted a pass by the Panthers with 9:09 left in the second quarter, with both teams being held scoreless in the opening quarter.
"Massie is a good football team, and we wish them well down the road," MT head coach Steve Bartlett said. "Our kids played hard, they hung in there and their goal was to come down here and make sure Clinton-Massie knew we were the Panthers, and I think they did."
Drive No. 4 for the home team was what the Falcons needed to reach pay dirt. Starting from their own 20-yard line following the interception, a play of a 16-yard run by Bayle Wolf and a 15-yard completion from Fentress to Wolf eventually led the Falcons to the first touchdown of the game.
That score came with 7:05 left in the first half as Fentress raced 47 yards to the end zone from an angle to the left side of the end zone. The PAT by Callum Jones put CM ahead. 7-0.
CM did what they do best on their next drive, taking a 14-0 lead when Fentress found Rose for a 26-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone, with Rose leaping for the catch in one-on-one coverage, leaving 3:17 on the first-half clock. Jones converted the PAT for the 14-point lead.
The Panthers didn't want a repeat of their first meeting where they lost 42-7 in the regular season, so they answered the scores by the Falcons with one of their own two plays later.
The MT touchdown came with 2:58 left in the second quarter when Trevor Haines broke through a pile of players and straight to the end zone, taking the ball 73 yards for six points. The PAT by Blake Pittser cut the Falcons' lead in half at 14-7.
[[In-content Ad]]But remember, this is Clinton-Massie, and any amount of time is enough for them to make an impact, and that's what they did in the final seconds of the first half.
Regaining possession with 2:52 left in the second frame, the host Falcons were in the end zone with 55.2 left on the clock, regaining their 14-point advantage when Fentress found Wesley Hewitt in the end zone from around 20 yards away, wide-open for six points. The converted PAT put the Falcons ahead, 21-7 headed into halftime.
The playoff battle between the two SCOL rivals turned into a one-score game when the Panthers opened the third quarter with a five-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 46-yard run by Haines with 10:22 left in the quarter, taking the ball through a bundle of defensive players to the right side of the end zone. The PAT made the score 21-14.
Again, the Falcons were there to answer, though they carefully pieced together the ensuing drive that went 12 plays and 68 yards. The drive was capped off with a 1-yard run by Bayle Wolf with 4:05 left in the third. The drive began with around 10:22 left in the quarter.
In this scoring drive by the Falcons, they faced a fourth-and-one on the 50-yard line. Lining up in a punt formation, they perfectly executed a fake punt when Davey Tunon caught the snap and went 40 yards to the 10-yard line, setting up the eventual touchdown, making it a 28-14 advantage.
"I thought our special teams played well, and our returns were really nice. The fake punt by Davey got some momentum going," McSurley said. "That was a critical situation in the game."
MT came back with a touchdown of their own with Austin Dyer going 49 yards for a TD, leaving just 39.3 seconds left in the third, for what would be their final score of the 2013 season.
"We're real proud we were able to get to the playoffs," Bartlett said. "We're really happy for the kids, and we're happy for the school and the fans.
"Now we have to take the program a step further. Our kids played hard … we can't ask for more than what our kids gave. I'm proud of them. We just came up short."
The final score of the game came when the Falcons scored a 29-yard touchdown off the combo of Fentress to Rose with 7:16 left in the game. The catch was one where Rose had coverage on him in the end zone, the ball was tipped, and while falling, Rose was able to catch the ball for six points.
"(Answering their scores) … that was key," McSurley said. "They got some momentum going, got to within one score and we came right back down and scores.
"It's the playoffs … you are going to get everyone's best, and we are just happy to move on."
The Falcons will play in the second round of the Region 14 playoffs on Friday, Nov. 15 when they will face the winner of No. 3 Cincinnati Archbishop McNichols (8-2) and No. 6 Urbana (10-0) who play each other Saturday, Nov. 9.