By MONTE DUTTON

Clinton needed what Saluda brought to Wilder Stadium on Friday night.

Competition. A fight. A shot to come through in the clutch.

The Red Devils won their seventh game in a row and advanced to the third round of the Class 2A football playoffs with a 35-25 victory over the Tigers, two days less than 52 years after Clinton edged Saluda in the 3A Upstate championship.

The Red Devils (9-3) trailed in the second half, at which point it was “Zoom” to the rescue.

“Zoom” is Javen Cook. He’s little but he’s loud. He darts through a defensive backfield like a water bug on a fish pond. He’s fast as greased lightning, strong as a small-block Chevy V-8. At the start of the game, Saluda (6-6) was keying on him. It didn’t work for long.

Cook ran for 29 yards in seven first-quarter carries. For the rest of the game, he netted 207 in 13 tries with four touchdowns. For the season to date, Cook’s totals swelled to 155 carries, 1,777 yards, 35 touchdowns (one on a reception) and 11.5 yards per carry. A man can’t make that kind of hay with a New Holland baler.

“Even with adversity, with penalties and guys going down, we were able to survive and move past,” Clinton head coach Corey Fountain said.

Fountain was right about the Tigers from the time that the previous game (a 56-7 verdict over North Central) ended until after the latest one did. Saluda was a cut above the Knights. The Tigers lost every big game, including their last one. They played Batesburg-Leesville (35-34) and Strom Thurmond (20-14) tough.

Saluda put some moans and groans in the stadium crowd of about 4,000 by boldly taking a second-half lead after Clinton had run up an average score of 53-11 in its previous six games.

The Tigers put together a 52-yard drive after a 41-yard Grant Gentry kickoff return, and when quarterback Bray Williams hit C.J. Springs on a 45-yard touchdown pass, and Ericson Vasquez’s kick, the Clinton lead was down to 21-19.

Moans.

Vasquez and mates successfully executed an onside kick. Six plays later, Williams found Springs again from 14 yards out. The kick missed this time, but Saluda led, 25-21, as the fourth quarter began.

Groans.

Then it was “Zoom” to the rescue. After a Saluda penalty, Cook roared 53 yards for a score. Pablo Martinez kicked the extra point, and by game’s end, he hit his 17^th in a row over three games.

Cheers. Noise. Bedlam.

Cook’s final touchdown, from six yards out, put the necessary distance between Clinton and Saluda with 8:36 to play. For the record, the scoring zooms were five yards, nine, 53 and six.

Yellow flags flew like kites, soaring, swooping and dying. The Tigers erred 13 times for 108 yards, the Red Devils nine for 78. Saluda produced 230 of its 438 yards through the air with Williams hitting 14/25 for three touchdowns and yielding a Chris Boyd interception.

Clinton’s rushing game provided 400 of the team’s 409 yards. In addition to Cook’s 236 yards, quarterback Owen Glenn put up 57 yards, Rhett Gilliam 39 and Angelo Cromer 35.

Springs caught all three of Williams’ touchdown passes and altogether had six receptions for 139 yards. Williams led the Tigers in rushing with 15 carries for 103 yards.

The game was what Fountain said it would be. Next Clinton hosts Fairfield Central (9-3), which was busy blanking Andrew Jackson, 36-0, in Kershaw. Fountain called the Griffins “another fast and physical team.” Clinton defeated them, 32-21, in last year’s Upstate final.

“We had a lot of adversity,” Fountain added. “We don’t usually put the ball on the ground. Tonight we did. We don’t usually get this many penalties late in the season. We stepped on our own feet a lot of times. We’ve got to fix those errors.

“For the most part, we were resilient all night long. … I’m proud of our players, and I’m proud of our coaches.”

Clinton won its 21st straight game against Class 2A opponents. Fountain is 14-4 in the playoffs. All-time, the Red Devils are 56-13 in postseason games at Wilder Stadium

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