CLINTON — Senior football player Ethan Downs plays a big part in Weatherford defeating Clinton 14-0 and says the way they practiced for the game made all the difference in the world.
“When we have four good practices in a week, we know we are going to have a great game,” Downs said. “We had great practices this week and this win feels so good. We challenged ourselves this week to pick up the pace, push each other, be perfect in everything we do and have great fundamentals every rep. I did not expect a shutout because they are a really good football team who keeps getting better each week. Tonight was two great football teams going at it.”
It has been 77 years since the Eagles shut out Clinton in football. The last time was in 1943, when Weatherford defeated Clinton 28-0.
“I am super proud of this team,” coach Reagan Roof said. “We knew it was going to be a physical battle and knew it would come down to who controlled the line of scrimmage and who tackled the best. We did both of those things better than Clinton did. Give credit to our coaches, players and the crowd for cheering us on to victory and I am so proud of everything we have accomplished so far.”
Weatherford gets a stop early in the game and Clinton pins Weatherford deep in its own territory. On Weatherford’s first offensive play from scrimmage, running back Sam Hoffman ran up the right side of the field, putting Weatherford in Clinton’s red zone. A few plays later, Downs scores the first touchdown of the game on a 2-yard sweep play. Weatherford jumps ahead 7-0.
“Sam beat the Clinton guy to the edge on that long run,” Roof said. “It was a play we have been working on in practice all week and it hit right the first time we ran it. Clinton pinned us deep in our own territory and it was nice to get out of the hole on the first play. Ethan did a great job scoring a touchdown to finish the drive.”
In the second quarter, each team is sound on defense. Clinton put a drive together and threatens to score. Clinton throws a long pass into the end zone, but Jacob Wilson comes up with an interception in the red zone, giving Weatherford the football back.
“The interception in the end zone was a huge play,” Roof said. “The interception allowed us to swing the field position. Our defense has been playing so well and hopefully it can continue the rest of the way through.”
Weatherford is not able to score off the interception and gives the Red Tornadoes the football back. Weatherford has the 7-0 lead at halftime.
“It has been a physical football game so far,” Roof said. “Both teams have been playing great defense and are slugging it out. We will have to move the football better on offense and we need to score more points. I want to see us move the football better and continue the great defense we are playing.”
After hafltime, Gunnar Gaunt finds Hoffman open on a pass and he makes it tothe 1-yard line on the opening drive. Two plays later, Gaunt scores on a quarterback sneak, giving Weatherford a 14-0 lead with 5:32 left in the third quarter. That drive burns 6:28 off the clock in the third quarter.
“I thought this drive was huge,” Roof said. “I said at halftime I wanted to see us move the ball better, which we did. We also chewed some clock in our favor and being able to sustain such a long drive and finish with a touchdown was the key in the game. We did a great job wearing them down and our kids played four quarters of great football.”
Weatherford is up 14-0 going into the final quarter. Weatherford keeps the football the rest of the game and wins 14-0 against Clinton. This win against Clinton is the first win since 2017.
Weatherford also has won three of the last four at Clinton.
With this win, Weatherford remains unbeaten with a record of 3-0 in district and 6-0 overall.
Downs said this is a huge win, not just for him and the senior class, but for underclassmen too.
“We beat Clinton my freshman year with a really talented team,” Downs said. “That feeling after winning was awesome and I knew what it took and was like to beat a team like Clinton. Beating them this season as a senior leader was really special, but this win is more important for the younger guys than it is for me. This win was a big stepping stone we needed.”
Defensive coordinator Taylor Sossamon said the Custer County Conflict is such a big game to be part of as a coach.
“This game has a massive atmosphere,” Sossamon said. “If people have not been to a Custer County Conflict, they need to come to one because it is unreal and such an amazing experience.”
Linebacker Murphy Beck said they got the victory because of how well everyone played as a team.
“We played outstanding as a team,” Beck said. “I did my part and thought I played well and everyone on defense did their part. We got a lot of stops and got momentum on our side. This win helps us a bunch and boosts our confidence going forward.”
Clinton had 108 yards on offense and Sossamon said the defense was fueled by last season’s 14-6 loss.
“I thought Clinton had a lot of great skill players on offense and I am super proud of the way we played,” Sossamon said. “I thought we had a great game plan and I did not expect a shutout. Our guys bought in all week and were fired up for this game. They were upset last year losing to Clinton, even though we played our tails off and only gave up two plays.”
In 2017, Weatherford defeated Clinton 30-7. The next week, they played Elgin and lost 21-7. Weatherford plays Bethany this Friday and Roof said it will take a great week of practice and they must be focused if they want a win Friday.
“We have a really good senior-led football team and this win is not the highlight of our season,” Roof said. “We should be fired up to play against Bethany next week. However, at every level of football, it is hard to come back the next week after a big win against your rival. Although this is a great win for us, we must get right back to work because we have a big district game this week against Bethany and are trying to win another district title.”
Roof and Sossamon coached at Bethany before coming to Weatherford in 2017. These two teams have had much success in football and squared off in the playoffs three years in a row from 2016-18. Weatherford won the first game in 2016 35-0, but lost in 2017 and in 2018. Kickoff for this game is, 7 p.m. Friday at Woody Roof Field. Offensive line coach Rob Renshaw also coached at Bethany in the early 2000s.
“We will prepare for Bethany like we would for any other team,” Sossamon said. “Bethany has had a great run these past few seasons and I have lots of friends and players we coaches there. We must be on our A game because they have such a good program.”
Downs says the team must remain focused and must continue to buy in with all the success they are having if they want to win a gold ball this season.
“We are having a great season so far,” Downs said. “We have to keep getting better and better, and we are going to make another run at the state championship this season. The coaches mentioned past teams have not played well after beating Clinton and they get beat by an opponent they should not lose to. We have to stay healthy and must stay focused in practice next week and not forget what the goal is, which is a state championship. The only way we can get there is through hard work and playing as a team with heart.”