Clover Blue Eagles sweat out first victory of season

It looked as though the Clover Blue Eagles were in for an easy time of things on Friday night. The home side scored touchdowns on both of their first two offensive possessions.

Little did Chad Smith’s club know they would need to sweat out their first victory of the year. Clover did just that, notching a 23-20 victory over Forestview (N.C.).

“It was very exciting, probably more exciting than it should have been,” said Smith. “Our kids found a way to win. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

The Blue Eagles withstood several punches from the visiting Jaguars, falling behind 20-16 with just over four minutes left in the third quarter.

Turning point

Clover found themselves backed up in a third-and-12 situation with just over seven minutes to play. Noah Lindsay found a streaking Willy Clark across the middle, and Clark broke free from the Jaguar defense for the 56-yard score that provided the final margin.

Critical

Clover had a five-plus minute, 71-yard drive halted at the 2 on an incomplete pass on fourth-and-goal late in the third period. The Blue Eagles quickly turned things around, forcing a Forestview punt.

Forestview had a fourth-and-eight play with just under three minutes remaining, but Clover defensive end AJ Pennington got great pressure on Jaguar quarterback Colton Guthrie, forcing an incompletion. An open Jaguar receiver waited in the vicinity of the throw.

Star contributions

Forestview running back and Syracuse commit Moe Neal paced the visiting Jaguars with 85 yards on 23 carries. Neal found the end zone twice, but was well off the 266-yard, four-touchdown pace from last week’s victory over Providence Day.

Clover quarterback Noah Lindsay finished 9-of-13 for 141 yards, throwing for three scores. Lindsay did not complete a pass in four attempts in Clover’s season-opening loss to Westside.

“It wasn’t just Noah that struggled last week, it was the entire team. I think they kind of came together,” said Smith. “I think we grew up a lot last week, and we grew up a lot tonight.

Overheard

The final play of the game featured a wild heave downfield, which Guthrie completed to Saveon Falls for 40 yards. A forward pitch ended the play, sending the Blue Eagles streaming onto the field.

“Oh, crap,” said Smith when asked about his thoughts as the final play unfolded. “The kid catches it, and he’s a long, lanky kid. They’ve got athletes, and you never know what could happen. Our kids rallied to the ball.”

On deck

Clover plays at Westwood on Friday; Forestview travels to Kings Mountain (N.C.).

Clover 23, Forestview 20

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

CHS – Noah Lindsay 18 pass to Willy Clark (Sam Edmunds kick)　4:02

CHS – Lindsay 15 pass to Cody Payne (Edmunds kick)　:08.9

Second quarter

CHS - Safety 8:03

FHS – Moe Neal 5 run (kick blocked) 4:18

FHS - Colton Guthrie 7 pass to Jared Carter (Disarro kick) :23.6

Third quarter

FHS – Neal 8 run (Disarro kick) 　5:38

Fourth quarter

CHS - Lindsay 56 pass to Clark (Edmunds kick) 7:05

TEAM STATISTICS

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING　Forestview: Moe Neal 23-85, Colton Guthrie 5-(-23), Trell Mccaskill 2-0, Tate Payne 2-13. Clover: Tanner Tolson 15-47, Cody Payne 13-60, Noah Lindsay 7-(-35), AJ Pennington 1-3.

PASSING　Forestview: Guthrie 4-6-1-0, 18 yards; McCaskill 1-1-0-0, 40 yards.. Clover: Lindsay 9-13-3-0, 141 yards.

RECEIVING　Forestview: Jared Carter 6-82, Neal 2-5, Mccaskill 1-3, Saveon Falls 1-40. Clover: Tolson 3-15; Willy Clark 2-74, Jackson Parrish 2-21, Payne 1-15, Terion Hubert 1-13.

RECORDS　Forestview 1-1; Clover 1-1　

This story was originally published August 28, 2015 at 10:53 PM with the headline "Clover Blue Eagles sweat out first victory of season."