By Britney Bailey, For The Tribune
CLAY — The defending 6A State champion Clay-Chalkville took down Hueytown at home Friday night 42-8.
In what could have been a redemption game for the Gophers after losing to the Cougars in the state championship game in 2021, the Cougars proved to be too much to handle.
The Golden Gophers got on the board first with an 8-yard run from quarterback Earl Woods, leading 6-0 after an unsuccessful point after. The Cougars would answer right off the bat in the second quarter when quarterback Kamari McClellan found Jaylen Mbakwe for a 37-yard touchdown pass to tie it up.
A 2-pt conversion pass from McClellan to Jabari Staples gave the Cougars their first lead of the night with 11:05 remaining.
That score broke it open for the Cougars. With 6:45 to go in the second quarter, running back Zac McCray added on 6 more for Clay-Chalkville, and followed that with a 2-point conversion run to make it 16-6. The Gophers held Rodreckus Johnson up in the end zone for a safety shortly after, making it 16-8.
McClellan, not to be outdone, slipped into the end zone on a 5-yard run with just 30 seconds to go in the half to add on to the Cougar lead. The PAT was no good, and the Cougars were on top 22-8 going into halftime.
Cougar defensive lineman Devin Finley added to the lead with a 70-yard pick six to tack on another score. Johnson would add on two for the Cougars with a successful conversion run with just under two minutes left in the third.
The dominant Cougar defense would hold the Gophers scoreless for the remainder of the game. Clay’s defense held Woods to 7-of-19 passing with no touchdowns and one interceptioin. Woods was more successful on the ground: he ran 25 times for 118 yards and a TD.
Johnson would score again in the third quarter with two minutes remaining on a 1-yard run to increase the Cougar lead to 28 after a unsuccessful PAT attempt. With only 1:40 remaining in the game, Johnson burned the Gopher defense for a 20-yard touchdown run to put the icing on the cake for the Cougars.
Cougar head coach Drew Gilmer gave praise to his offensive line for setting the tone for the team.
“I think for our offensive line, setting the tone and being physical right up front and so by doing that, it allows us to rely on the run and hit our shots where we need to,” Gilmer said. “Our offensive line played really physical and done a good job at controlling the line of scrimmage.”
Johnson led the Cougars on the ground, carrying 23 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns, while McCray had 9 carries for 53 yards and a score. McClellan threw for 139 yards, going 10-for-16 with a touchdown and an interception.
DJ Barber led the defense with 10.5 tackles overall, while Matthew Yafondo had 9 tackles on the night.
The Cougars take on Pell City at home next Friday, September 2 at 7 p.m.