Clover lands final blow in slugfest with York

Save a seat for two at Jasmine.

Clover mayor Greg Holmes will get to cash in his meal wager with York mayor Eddie Lee, though not without quite a bit of stomach upset before the final gun. The Blue Eagles scored two touchdowns in the final 8:50, then held York at bay for four plays inside the 20 in the game’s final possession, taking a 26-21 victory in the 106th playing of the oldest continuous rivalry in the Palmetto State.

“I’m just glad that we came out on top. It shows the internal fortitude of this team,” said Clover coach Brian Lane.

York (0-1) held a 14-7 lead at the half, but the visitors’ defense held the Cougars at bay for much of the second half, including a key sequence at the end of the game. That defensive intensity helped keep the Blue Eagles in the contest.

“Our defense did a heck of a job,” said Lane.

“We had four plays (at the end of the game), and those guys played hard, man, and that’s what it’s about. We’ve been working hard all spring, all summer, to get to this point, to start the season 1-0, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Oh, and about that bet?

“I love it, baby. I love the Blue Eagles, and I’m glad our mayor came and got that jersey,” exclaimed Lane.

Turning point

The York defense came up huge on two separate occasions in which Clover appeared poised to tie the game inside the five-yard line. The second occasion was on the Blue Eagles’ first second-half possession. Clover (1-0) possessed the ball inside the one-yard line, but a fumbled center-quarterback exchange moved the ball back to the five, and the Cougars sniffed out a fourth-down bootleg attempt to regain the ball. Fast-forward to the fourth quarter, and Clover finally cashed in.

The Blue Eagles’ eighth play inside the one in the game went to David Hall. Hall punched in the game-winning run.

“I told them we’re gonna get in there,” said Lane of that play. “I’m not gonna stop, so we’re gonna have to face this battle, and we’re gonna have to push through. That’s what we did at the end.”

Critical

York still had some punches remaining after that final touchdown. Jordan Evans returned the ensuing kickoff to the Clover 38. Later in the sequence, York threw an interception at the three-yard line. Clover then fumbled the ball back to the Cougars. The defense held, though, as York’s four tries inside the Clover 20 all fell incomplete, allowing the Blue Eagles to kneel out the clock.

Star contributions

Clover used three quarterbacks on the night, but Carroll looked to be the clear leader on the night. The Blue Eagle signal-caller showed a steady hand in guiding his club, completing 18-of-21 passes for 329 yards in relief. Carroll’s lone rushing score on the evening drew the Blue Eagles within two early in the fourth period.

“I think we found our quarterback tonight,” said Lane of Carroll.

Hall carried nine times for 20 yards for the Blue Eagles, including the winning score. Four Blue Eagle receivers tallied over 50 receiving yards, paced by Zion Robbins’ 172. York’s Tanner McKinney threw for 109 yards and two scores.

On deck

Clover will travel to Forestview (N.C.) next Friday. York is off next week, and will face Indian Land August 31.

Box score

Clover 7;0;6;13;-; 26

York 7;7;7;0;-;21

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

Y – Stephen Oglesby 17 run (Beck Johnston kick) 5:12

C – Heze Massey 25 pass from Markus Nastase (Austin Clark kick) 1:04

Second quarter

Y – Jeremiah King 25 pass from Tanner McKinney (Johnston kick) 9:21

Third quarter

C – Zion Robbins 15 pass from Gabe Carroll (kick blocked) 4:17

Y – Ethan Mitchell 5 pass from McKinney (Johnston kick) 1:34

Fourth quarter

C – Carroll 6 run (conversion failed) 8:50 C – David Hall 1 run (Clark kick) 2:50

TEAM STATISTICS

C;Y

First downs;20;9

Rushes-yards;38-45;29-126

Passing;22-32-2;12-24-1

Passing yards;404;109

Fumbles-lost;0-0;0-0

Penalties-yards;4-2;1-1

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING Clover: Cory Adams 3-(-16); David Hall 9-20; Nygle Biggers 1-(-6); BJ Tims 6-23; Gabe Carroll 19-38. York: Stephen Oglesby 12-40; Frank Thompson 9-49; Jeremiah King 5-22; Tanner McKinney 9-29; Jahari Moore 1-(-14)

PASSING Clover: Adams 0-0-0-0 yards; Markus Nastase 4-11-1-75 yards; Carroll 18-21-1-329 yards. York: Tanner McKinney 12-24-1-109 yards.

RECEIVING Clover: Jaylin Lane 5-77; Heze Massey 8-99; Zion Robbins 6-172; David Hall 2-50; Blackmon Huckabee 1-6. York: Ethan Mitchell 4-50-; Khalil Ellis 2-13; Jeremiah King 2-27; Dashawn Brown 1-11; Darian Anderson 2-6; Stephen Oglesby 1-2.

RECORDS: Clover 1-0, York 0-1.

This story was originally published August 17, 2018 at 10:27 PM.