Dawgs head to South Pitt for quarterfinal showdown

Clay County scores 44 second-quarter points in 52-21 win over Midway SOUTH PITTSBURG-After trailing 14-0 in the first quarter, Clay County scored an unheard of 44 unanswered points in the second quarter of their 52-21 second-round playoff win over Midway last week to set up a Class A State Quarterfinal showdown here Friday night. And they are going to need a similar effort this week when the 11-1 Bulldogs make the trip south to take on the 11-1 South Pittsburg Pirates in a battle of two of the top five teams in the state. “You are down to the final eight and that is something to be proud of, but I know they are not satisfied with that,” head coach Bruce Lamb said of his #4-ranked Dawgs. “I know they are going to give everything they’ve got and we will see what happens. “When you get this far it doesn’t mater who you play-they are good, they are there for a reason. You just don’t sneak into the third round, so we’ve got to be on our A-game all the time.” The Pirates are ranked two spots ahead of Clay County at #2 in the TSWA/USA Today Poll, and their only loss has come to private school Silverdale Academy in the first game of the season. On top of that, South Pitt boasts a pair of Mr. Football Semifinalists in the form of Ja’Mychal Buckner and DaYon Cooper, but Lamb said his team has two players who should have been granted the same designation. “I think we’ve got two guys that should be semifinalists too,” he said of seniors Nolan and Reece Adams. “I think we should have a little chip on our shoulder when we get down there.” Adding to Clay County’s motivation is also the fact the Pirates have ended the Dawgs’ season the past two years, including a 58-0 second-round shutout here in 2023 and a 49-13 defeat in last year’s quarterfinal round in Celina. “We are going to have to play really well, but I know these guys have it in them,” Lamb said. “We are a different style this year and we are going to line up and do what we do. “These kids will rally behind each other and they will give everything they’ve got.” And that’s exactly what happened in the win over Midway, as both Adams rushed for over 200 yards and the Clay County offense posted over 600 yards and seven touchdowns, with all but one score coming in one quarter of play. “I’ve never been a part of anything like that as a player or coach,” Lamb said. “It was kinda crazy. we woke up and we decided we wanted to play, and boy did we play.” After giving up 14 points in the opening quarter and squandering multiple scoring opportunities, Clay County lit up the scoreboard in the 12 minutes prior to intermission. Reece Adams broke free for a 41-yard rushing touchdown to open the second quarter and followed it with a two-point run to make it 14-8, before Nolan Adams went to work. Nolan proceeded to throw a 51-yard touchdown pass to freshman Nemo Hamilton, add a two-point conversion, intercept a pass, and rush for a 68-yard score, all in about two minutes of game time. Reece Adams punched in the other two-point conversion and the Dawgs surged ahead 24-14, but they weren’t done. Reece added rushing touchdowns of 41 and four yards, while Nolan tallied a two-point conversion and a six-yard score on the ground to send their team into the break ahead 44-14 and invoke the TSSAA running clock. Reece Adams went on to rush for his fourth touchdown from seven yards out in response to a Midway score in the shortened second half, and Nolan Adams added a two-point conversion to account for the final margin. “If it could have went wrong it went wrong in the first quarter,” Lamb said. “But these guys didn’t want their season to be over and they brought it to the table. “Just a phenomenal job by all of them. It was definitely a team effort, from the offensive line to the receivers, and the defense. We are figuring out that just because something goes wrong, we don’t quit.” Statistics Nolan Adams rushed for 285 yards (2TDs/2-2PTs) and threw for 171 yards (TD) by completing 10 of 13 passing attempts, while Reece Adams tallied 201 rushing yards (4TDs/3-2PTs) and caught four passes for 64 yards in the contest. Hamilton also had one rush for 12 yards and caught two passes for 66 yards (TD), while senior Waylon Cherry was responsible for the other receptions (4/40 yds.). In total, Clay County racked up 669 yards on 57 plays, including 30 rushes for 498 yards and Nolan Adams’ passing total. Defensively, junior Cage Ashley led the way with five tackles (TFL), while Reece Adams and senior Cole Eads each recorded four stops. Senior Kolton Brown made three tackles; Hamilton (INT), Nolan Adams (2INTs), senior Bryson Sharp (FR), junior Rolan Holaway, and sophomore Cole Ledbetter all had two each; and Cherry, senior Ethan Hayes, and sophomores Jackson Ritter (2 Sacks) and Isaiah Burnette (TFL) both made one apiece.
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