By MONTE DUTTON

Wilder was a Stadium afire Friday night. Richardson was a Field of dreams.

Clinton advanced to the third round of the Class 3A football playoffs with a smashing 38-7 victory over Broome in front of a chill crowd of 4,000 or so. The fans could chill. The Red Devils certainly didn’t.

“When they got a little of that Devil ‘D,’ they didn’t want no more,” said Kadon Crawford.

Broome (9-3) brought a running back, Jaylen McGill, with 1,762 rushing yards, and a quarterback, Kamajay Brackett-Brannon, with 1,221. They combined for five.

Brackett-Brannon passed for 193 (15/23), but it was very nearly his only option. As a team, the Centurions’ rushing average was minus-1.7.

Neither team committed a turnover. Clinton (10-2), next ticketed for a visit to Belton-Honea Path (12-0), seized control in the second quarter and never looked back because, quite often, Centurions were chasing them.

Clinton head coach Corey Fountain installed quarterback Tushawan Richardson under center, and it turned up the power of the Red Devil running game. While McGill and Brackett-Brannon were floundering alone, five Clinton ballcarriers, led by Tray Cook’s 85 yards in 11 carries, riddled the Broome defense with 181 yards.

Richardson completed 10/14 passes for 155 yards, threw no touchdowns but rushed for two. He hit Crawford out on the flanks for yards after the catch – 6 receptions, 102 yards – and Zay Johnson down the field, 3-51, one for 42.

If Broome wasn’t surprised by the Red Devil tack, it sure looked it.

“We knew had to have something under center,” Fountain said. “Coach (Louie) Alexander and I talked about it, and you know, we tried it. We said we’re gonna try it this week and see if we can do it.

“Our guys were able to operate. Tushawan did it flawlessly. Our offensive line did a great job. It doesn’t change anything up front for us.”

Operate? They were skilled surgeons.

The defense just swarmed. Have you ever noticed how often a baseball player strikes out and stares at the pitcher? More than once, that was the exasperated look of Broome being swept. It was a proud team, with similar performances against three common Clinton opponents, that brought a fine crowd that didn’t expect to leave with so little.

The combatants probed each other’s weaknesses for a quarter, but the power was in Clinton and it had to come out.

The Red Devils were on the Broome end of the field when the first quarter ended, and four plays in, D.J. Clark scored from seven yards out. Keegan Fortman hit the first of five PATs. He also kicked a 25-yard field goal in the third quarter.

After 13 ponderous plays traversing 28 yards, McGill failed on fourth-and-two at the Clinton 45.

Richardson hit Johnson for 42 yards to the four on the first play, and Cook took it in on the second.

After a Chester punt, Richardson and the Red Devils were off on adventure again. The junior quarterback was 4/6 passing and scored the first of two rushing touchdowns with three seconds left on the clock, and the halftime score was 21-0.

The only lapse was an almost-interception that morphed into a 74-yard Brackett-Brannon to Brayden Simpson score that drew the Centurions briefly to within two touchdowns.

By briefly, it took five plays and a Broome personal foul. Zane McLendon powered in from a yard out, and Fortman’s point boosted the lead to three touchdowns again.

Clinton added Fortman’s field goal and a fourth-quarter score on Richardson’s three-yard run.

“We had our guys ready to go, man,” Fountain said. “We tried to have them as prepared as they could to be successful. Then it’s up to the players, and they executed the game plan.”

Clinton played its best game at the best time, and there’s still room for improvement.

Reckon I can find 20 people who like this independent site enough to chip in $20 to keep it going?

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