By Erik Harris
Sports Editor
MUFREESBORO, TENN. – It all ended in a college football stadium on Dec. 5. The trophy was hoisted, the cameras flashed and the sun rose 258 times before Clay-Chalkville was back on a collegiate field starting what has yet to be finished – a 16-game winning streak.
In a lopsided affair, the top-ranked Cougars made a statement against one of Tennessee’s finest, claiming the day over No. 6 Blackman (Tenn.) by a final score of 38-7 in Floyd Stadium. The statement is simple: A new season has kicked and if tonight is any barometer of what lies ahead, then Class 6A, Region 6 has its hands full with the Cougars yet again.
“I thought it was sharp,” said Clay-Chalkville head coach Jerry Hood. “We had a lot of penalties, I didn’t like that but the kids looked sharp and our execution was mostly good.”
After holding the hometown Blaze to a quick three-and-out, the Clay-Chalkville offense put 79 yards behind it in a hurry. The last yard to the end zone was not gained on three straight plunges between the tackles. But senior Andrew Van Winkle connected on his first attempt from 18 yards out to draw first blood at 3-0 with 7:01 remaining in the opening quarter.
There was no heroic stand to be had on the Cougars’ second drive, as Brandon Berry went untouched on a 72-yard jet sweep on the second snap of the drive, increasing the lead to 10-0 with 2:29 remaining in the opening quarter.
“(Berry) did a great job and the line blocked well on the gag play that we ran,” Hood said.
It wasn’t long before quarterback Ty Pigrome found T.J. Simmons for a pair of scores to all but put the game out of reach before the halftime festivities. The first connection came from 37 yards out, the second went for 38 yards and both looked appropriate for a game played on Saturday.
“(Simmons) is a different-level player. He’s just an unbelievable talent, but we’ve got to get him in shape,” Hood said.
Clay-Chalkville throttled down offensively as it took the field with a 24-0 halftime advantage, but got back on the gas when Pigrome ran six yards off right tackle for the score. The reigning Class 6A Back of the Year award winner gave the visitors a 31-0 cushion with 3:44 remaining in the third.
There was no downshift on the defensive side of the ball where the Cougars fielded nine first-time starters. Despite that inexperience, Sean Talsma’s unit forced the hosts into ten punts out of 11 offensive drives.
“That no-name, terrible, awful defense played okay, so I was proud of them,” Hood said.
Blackman ran a total of 41 plays for 171 yards and five first downs. Clay-Chalkville totaled 62 snaps for 560 yards and 21 first downs.
“A lot of people had their doubts about us and I think today (showed) no doubt who we are,” said defensive end Cole Baker. “Blackman has a great offensive line, it’s a great team, but we were motivated to prove who we really were.”
Blackman’s lone score of the night came on a quarterback keeper from senior Miller Armstrong from a yard out. That push ended a four-play drive and narrowed the margin to 38-7 with 9:07 left to play.
Berry put the Cougars on the board for the final time with 27 seconds remaining in the third. His SportsCenter-caliber scamper started with a change of direction that looked like a desperate attempt to get back to the line of scrimmage, and ended with him stomping through the back of the end zone.
In his first outing as a starter, Berry ran for 130 yards on only 11 attempts for a pair of scores. Pigrome went 17-of-27 for 297 yards and two scores of his own through the air. He added 58 rushing yards for another touchdown.
Simmons pulled in four receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Nico Collins added five catches that went for 57 yards and Pinson Valley transfer Dez Williams brought in four receptions for 67 yards.
Van Winkle went a perfect six-for-six on extra points to go along with an 18-yard field goal on the opening drive.
Clay-Chalkville will now have a short week to prepare for Minor, who reached the Class 6A state playoffs in 2014 and has had over nine months to devise a Cougar-stopping game plan.
Follow Erik Harris on Twitter @jeharris2.