By David Knox
For The Tribune
CLAY –Clay-Chalkville scored on all six of its first half possessions to build a big halftime lead, then had to overcome a little second-half adversity before finishing off Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 56-35 in the No. 3 Cougars’ opening-round win in the Class 6A playoffs at Cougar Stadium on Friday.
Senior quarterback Hayden Moore was almost perfect in that first half, hitting 8 of 11 passes for 222 yards and five touchdowns – three to senior wide receiver Brian Clark – as the Cougars (10-1) rolled out to a 41-14 lead at the half.
But as easy as the opening stanza was, the second half wasn’t a picnic.
“We don’t ever let them be easy, do we?” Cougars coach Jerry Hood said.
Hillcrest (5-6) took the second-half kickoff and put together a time-consuming drive, going 79 yards in 16 plays and took almost seven minutes off the clock. Keith Holcombe bulled the final two yards and the lead was cut to 41-21. The score came after an apparent lost fumble was whistled dead one play earlier.
On the next play from scrimmage, Cougars running back Terrelle West coughed up the ball, and Hillcrest went 35 yards in 11 plays, converting one fourth down to keep the drive alive and a second one on fourth-and-goal as quarterback Riley Nix crawled in from the 1-yard line. The extra point trimmed the lead to 41-28 with 1:20 left in the third.
“Immaturity,” Hood said after the game. “We’ve talked and talked about finishing games. First, somehow we don’t get a fumble recovery and then we fumble it right back.”
Clay-Chalkville senior wide receiver Brian Clark
file photo by Ron Burkett
The Cougars’ next drive ended with a punt and it took Hillcrest just three plays to score, Nix plunging in from the 1. All of a sudden, the first-round laugher was becoming a horror show as the Cougars led just 41-35 with 9:22 left in the game.
That’s when Moore led the Cougars on their biggest drive of the night, a 10-play, 54-yard drive.
“Hayden played great tonight,” Hood said. “He played the way we want him to play. We called some (running) plays for him and he picked up some big first downs.”
Said Moore, “That was a must-have drive. We did what we had to do to make a first downs and we went down and scored.”
The quarterback picked up 29 yards on the drive, converting three first downs, and then turned it over to Sidney Battle for the final three carries for 16 yards, including the 1-yard scoring run. Moore passed to T.J. Simmons for the two-point conversion to stretch the lead back out to 49-35 with 7:05 remaining.
Hillcrest mounted yet another drive, moving to the Cougars’ 10, when Clay made its biggest defensive play of the night. Nix was smacked hard and fumbled the ball and the Cougars’ Jonathan Daniel recovered it at the 10.
The Cougars sealed it to Hood’s liking, going 90 yards in eight running plays, Battle breaking loose for the final 64 yards for his third touchdown of the night and the game’s final points with 22 seconds left.
“I am proud of how the kids finished it off,” Hood said.
Moore finished 11-of-15 passing for 250 yards and the five touchdowns and rushed six times for 68 yards. Battle carried for 156 yards on 15 carries and West added 81 on six rushes. Clark, benefiting from man-to-man coverage, had six receptions for 164 yards and the three TDs.
“The safeties were playing pretty low, and they were playing man most of the time and that gave me a lot of options,” Moore said. “Brian, of course, is a man-beater all by himself, so I went to him a few times and it turned out pretty well.”
Said Clark, “I’m not used to one-on-one man-to-man coverage. Usually teams will either bracket me or run a zone, so I just had to take advantage of it. My quarterback made some great throws. It’s all on him, really.”
It’s likely the Cougars will need a similar offensive effort in round two. Florence, which beat Mountain Brook 33-21, visits Clay for the second round.
“They’re a great team,” Hood said. “They probably have more Division I players on this team than we’ve had at Clay in all my years here. I’m sure we’re going to be the underdog, but we’re going to show up and see what happens.”
