Clover uses punishing ground game to topple Woodmont in a high school football playoff game
The Clover Blue Eagles defeated Woodmont, 31-14, in the opening round of the South Carolina 5A state playoffs Friday night at Clover’s Memorial Stadium.
Clover extended its winning streak to nine, and did so thanks in part to junior running back Landon Stone, who eclipsed 2,000 rushing yards for the year. The Clover back finished the night with three touchdowns. The highlight of the evening was an 82-yard touchdown run off the left side of the line.
The Blue Eagles opened the scoring after Deontae Starr set up the Blue Eagles with excellent field position at the 12-yard line following a 65-yard return of the game’s opening kickoff. Jaylon Hoover finished the drive when he tossed his first touchdown of the night after scrambling and finding Cameron James in the back of the end zone.
Stone’s first touchdown came just a few minutes later on a five-yard touchdown run with 6:02 to play in the first quarter. After the Clover defense forced its third three-and-out in as many possessions, Stone struck again. This time, Stone pulled in an 18-yard touchdown reception to give Clover a 21-0 lead late in the quarter.
Stone’s final touchdown of the night, the 82-yarder, gave Clover a 28-0 lead in the second. When it seemed like the Blue Eagles would pull away, Woodmont fought back. The Wildcats scored just before halftime after sustaining its first extended drive of the ball game. Ezekiel Belcher capped the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run off the left side, and the extra point was blocked.
The Wildcats’ opening drive of the third quarter ended in the same way as their final drive of the first half. This time, Jordan Sink found the end zone for Woodmont. The junior quarterback evaded the Clover pass rush and scrambled around the left side for an 18-yard TD run to further cut into the Clover lead and then added a 2-point conversion by Belcher.
After the Wildcats dominated time of possession in the third, the Blue Eagles got their only points of the second half when Haven Maddox connected on a 40-yard field goal with 6:09 remaining. The Blue Eagles sealed the deal when Brayden Woolbright intercepted Sinks’ deep ball over the middle on the next possession, which allowed the Clover offense to run out the clock.
Clover (9-2) will host Gaffney next Friday night at Memorial Stadium following the Indians’ 49-17 victory over Lexington. Woodmont finishes the season with a final record of 5-6.
This story was originally published November 3, 2023 at 10:54 PM with the headline "Clover uses punishing ground game to topple Woodmont in a high school football playoff game."