Northwestern Trojans had won 11 straight against Clover. Could they make it 12?
Austin Clark’s 32-yard field goal with 100 seconds left looked like it had given Clover its first win over Northwestern since 2006.
Nope.
Northwestern returned a short kickoff deep into the Blue Eagles’ end of the field, then Dustin Noller scrambled 24 yards down to the Clover 1-yard line. Jamario Holley punched the ball into the end zone with 32 seconds left to give the Trojans a 31-27 lead, and extended their win-streak against Clover to 12 games.
“I just want our kids to fight,” said Clover coach Brian Lane, after he finished consoling several of his players. “We’ve had three games this year that came down to the very last play. I’m proud of how our kids fight. We’re moving closer and closer to where we’re trying to get to. Obviously, we’re not there yet.”
Crucially, the win was Northwestern’s first of the season and an important confidence boost to start Region 3-5A play, after going winless in five non-region contests.
“We’re not looking back at the last games,” said Trojans coach James Martin. “Those games are gone now. We’re only concentrating on our next opponent, which is Nation Ford.”
After Holley scored with half a minute left, Clover still got the ball past midfield and had a shot. But John Odom and Jackson Chumley harassed Clover QB Gabe Carroll for a sack, and Carroll threw a pick to Holley on the game’s final play.
“I just stayed home and I was like in my head, ‘like, I got to make this tackle. I’ve got to make this tackle,’” said Odom.
For the second straight game, Clover helped hand the opponent a 14-0 lead.
The Trojans went three-and-out on their first drive and punted, but the football’s bounce brushed the Clover return man and the Trojans got a new sets of downs at the Blue Eagles’ 27. Antonio Heath later scored on a 1-yard wildcat TD run, and Clover trailed 14-0 for the second game in a row because of two opponent’s touchdowns it influenced.
Clover punted and the Trojans doubled their lead. They failed to convert a third and long but a late hit on sliding QB Dustin Noller again gave Northwestern a first down. The visitors again took advantage, Gregory Bivens Jr. snagging a 28-yard touchdown pass thru the middle of the Blue Eagle secondary for a 14-0 lead.
Clover clawed back into the game, out-scoring the Trojans 15-3 in the third quarter. Gabe Carroll’s 7-yard TD pass to Jaylin Lane made it 24-22, and a penalty gave the Blue Eagles a second shot at the 2-point try. Blackmon Huckabee got open and caught Carroll’s throw to make it 24 all.
Clover thought it took the lead when Clark smashed a 46-yard field through the pipes, but the play had been whistled dead before the kick was completed. Northwestern then blocked the Blue Eagles’ second kick, from 41 yards, to leave the score tied at 24.
Turning point
After Clark’s field goal, Northwestern got a good return, past midfield, on the ensuing kickoff. And QB Dustin Noller made a nifty read to leak out the backside and run 24 yards down to the 2-yard line. Holley scored two plays later.
Critical
The game was filled with goofs and errors on both sides, and like Clover’s coach said, both teams kept scrapping. That was especially crucial for Northwestern, which has had to cope with an unusual 0-5 start to the season. The Trojans didn’t make things easy on themselves against Clover, especially with 15 penalties, but they kept their nerve and produced a game-winning drive when it was absolutely needed.
Star contributors
Holley had 104 yards and a touchdown in the first half alone, but didn’t add a single catch in the second half. No worries. He scored the winning touchdown, then stepped into the secondary to intercept Clover’s Hail Mary final pass.
Clark was immense for the Blue Eagles, hitting two long field goals and also catching five passes for 45 yards.
On deck
Clover hosts Rock Hill Oct. 12, while Northwestern hosts Nation Ford.
Box score
Clover;0;9;15;3- 27
Northwestern;14;7;3;7- 31
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
NHS -- Antonio Heath 1 run (Nick Acus kick), 8:57
NHS -- Gregory Bivens Jr. 28 pass from Dustin Noller (Acus kick), 1:05
Second quarter
CHS -- B.J. Tims 4 run (kick blocked), 10:24
NHS -- Jamario Holley 58 pass from Noller (Acus kick), 10:13
CHS -- Austin Clark 40-yard field goal, 5:43
Third quarter
CHS -- David Hall 4 run (Clark kick), 10:03
NHS -- Acus 41-yard field goal, 6:51
CHS -- Jaylin Lane 7 pass from Gabe Carroll (Blackmon Huckabee 2-point pass from Carroll), 4:15
Fourth quarter
CHS -- Clark 32-yard field goal, 1:40
NHS -- Holley 1 run (Acus kick), 0:32
TEAM STATISTICS
CHS;NHS
First downs;14;22
Rushes-yards;46-151;25-73
Passing;16-22-0;10-25-0
Passing yards;137;181
Fumbles-lost;2-2;0-0
Penalties-yards;6-43;15-129
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING Clover: David Hall 28-94, B.J. Tims 10-51, Gabe Carroll 8-6. Northwestern: Antonio Heath 13-42, Marquez Cherry 2-(-1), Jamario Holley 2-2, Ghari Paige 3-4, Dustin Noller 5-26.
PASSING Clover: Carroll 16-22-0, 137 yards. Northwestern: Noller 10-25-0, 181 yards.
RECEIVING Clover: Blackmon Huckabee 1-3, Austin Clark 5-45, Jaylin Lane 6-60, Heze Massey 4-29. Northwestern: Holley 5-104, Antonio Heath 2-15, Jamar Moore 1-4, Gregory Bivens Jr. 2-58.
RECORDS Clover 4-4, 0-2 Region 3-5A; Northwestern 1-5, 1-0.
This story was originally published October 5, 2018 at 10:32 PM.