Johnson, S-C carve up Clinton in mud

Bryce Johnson was nearly perfect through the air and effective as a runner Friday night, as the Smith-Cotton Tigers routed Clinton 44-0.

Johnson completed 9-of-10 passes for three touchdowns and no interceptions. He rushed for 58 yards on nine carries, gaining key yardage when plays were falling apart.

“He threw the ball well,” said S-C coach Mark Johnson,  who added that his team’s pass protection broke down quite a few times, necessitating his son to scramble.

Solomon Watkins earned his second 100-yard game of  the season, running for 112 yards on 19 carries including two for touchdowns in a West Central  Conference football game played in Clinton.

The Tigers (2-0, 2-0) gained 383 total yards while holding Clinton  to only 23.

Coach Johnson credited the play of Joey Hays, Billy Gudde and Addison Foote for putting pressure on the quarterback.

Clinton caught the Tigers off guard early.

“They switched offenses and ran with a shotgun spread,”  coach  Johnson said. “It took us a couple of plays to figure it out.”

Hunter Hays ran for 19 yards on the Cardinals’ first play from scrimmage, but the S-C defense held and didn’t allow another first down.

The Tigers had to work hard for their first two touchdowns, scoring on drives of 90 and 93 yards.

“We worked way too hard early,” coach Johnson said. “They switched defenses from what we were expecting. They brought more people up to stop the run. We struggled at first, but after that I thought we moved the ball well.”

Johnson ran for 15 yards on a second-and-10 that set up Watkins’ 16-yard TD run.

S-C took a 14-0 lead when Johnson hit Kendal Brown with a 6-yard TD pass 8:16 before halftime.

Johnson made a couple of big gains on the ground as the field conditions deteriorated into a muddy mess.  He ran for 18 yards on the first play of the drive. On third-and-11, he darted 14 yards up the middle.

The Tigers pushed their lead to 21-0 only 19 seconds later. Clinton quarterback Trenton Perry fumbled on his first snap, and the Tigers recovered at the Clinton 24-yard  line. Johnson hit Drew Hutinger on a 24-yard scoring pass on the next play.

“That was huge,” coach Johnson said. “We like to go for the score on the first play.”

Perry fumbled again on a third-down play on Clinton’s next possession, and the Tigers’ Trey Tabor recovered at the Clinton 26.

The Cardinals fumbled six times and lost possession on three of them.

S-C overcame a costly penalty following the Clinton turnover before scoring on a 3-yard run by Watkins 3:59 before halftime.

The Tigers were called for holding at the Clinton 21 and then faced a 2-and-20 from the 31.

Johnson and Watkins hooked up on a 19-yard pass play. Watkins then ran three straight plays, culminating in the touchdown.

Jessica Greer went 4-for-4 on PATs in the first half and 6-for-6 overall, and the Tigers led 28-0 at halftime.

Johnson completed 3-of-3 passes for 51 yards to lead the Tigers to a 35-0 lead 2:01 into the second half. He hit Jordan Brown for a 10-yard touchdown to cap the drive.

S-C pinned the Cardinals at their own 11 on their ensuing possession. They lost 4 yards on three plays, and their long snap on the punt attempt sailed out of the end zone for a safety.

The Tigers led 37-0 with 7:21 left in the third.

S-C took the free kick and marched 56 yards for its  final touchdown, scoring on a 3-yard run by Jordan Brown with 2:10 left in the third.

Some information provided by KDRO radio.