The End Zone: No. 10 Clinton upsets the defending champs on the road

MADISON, Miss. (WLBT) - The No. 10 Clinton Arrows used a second-half burst to upset the No. 2 and MHSAA 6a defending state champions Madison Central Jaguars 38-31 to claim the top spot in Region 2-6a.

To see the full list of scores, click here.

#10 Clinton (4-2) at #2 Madison Central (4-2)

A top 10 battle between the Clinton Arrows and the Madison Central Jaguars highlighted week 8 of high school football, and deservedly so.

Both teams came into the game undefeated in region play, with the winner of Friday night’s matchup crucial for both teams to secure the top spot in their region.

The Jaguars scored the first points of the contest as tight end Jake Norris powered home one of many touchdowns for him on the night from 3-yards out to give Madison Central an early 7-0 lead. A pair of field goals followed, with one coming from both squads to make the score 10-3 at the end of the first quarter.

Arrows running back Jakobe Calvin, who had a stellar night himself, punched home a 1-yard touchdown run to make the score 10-9 Madison Central midway through the second quarter. After scoring nine unanswered points, the Arrows conceded another touchdown to Norris with 1:58 in the first half, with the Jaguars leading 17-9 at halftime.

Trailing by 8 points against the defending champs, the Arrows saw themselves in an uphill battle coming out of the tunnel for the second half. However, Clinton saw that as no obstacle in “the Jungle,” outscoring the Jaguars 29-14 in the second half.

Calvin scored his second touchdown of the night with 6:29 to play in the third quarter to edge the Arrows closer to the Jaguars, trailing 17-16.

Immediately after the Clinton score, Madison Central quarterback Vic Sutton fumbled the ball in Madison Central’s first possession in the quarter after scrambling out of the pocket in search of positive yards. The turnover was the turning point in the game, swinging momentum in total favor of the Arrows.

Arrows’ quarterback Jordyn Battee scrambled for an unbelievable run weaving through the Jaguar defense to score and give Clinton the lead 23-17 with 1:41 left to play in the third.

Norris scored his third touchdown of the night in the last seconds of the third quarter to retain the lead for the Jaguars 24-23 heading into the fourth.

However, the late touchdown didn’t prove to be enough as the Arrows scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, ultimately pulling off the upset 38-31.

Petal (3-4) at #1 Brandon (6-0)

The Bulldogs down Petal 32-7.

Warren Central (5-1) at Northwest Rankin (2-4)

The Cougars’ win streak ends at two as the Vikings top Northwest Rankin 35-28.

Hattiesburg (3-4) at Florence (5-2)

Florence lose two straight, fall to Hattiesburg 28-21.

Hartfield Academy (6-1) at Jackson Academy (6-2)

Hartfield thumps the Raiders 38-6.

“JA has such a storied program. They’ve been great for a long time,” head coach of the Hartfield Hawks Craig Bowman said. “It was such a good game last year and they have such a good football team. They’ve gotten bit by the injury bug and so have we, and it was just our night tonight.”

Clinton Christian (6-3) at Canton Academy (7-1)

Canton Academy rolls past Clinton Christian 44-21.

Grenada (5-2) at Murrah (0-7)

Grenada beats Murrah 35-13.

Madison St. Joseph (4-4) at Sacred Heart (2-3)

The Bruins shut out Sacred Heart 44-8.

MRA (7-2) at PCS (4-4)

MRA win five-in-a-row, beat PCS 42-14.

West Lincoln (0-7) at St. Andrew’s (4-2)

St. Andrew’s win against West Lincoln 35-14.

Terry (4-3) at Pearl (2-5)

Terry beats Pearl for the first time in school history, winning 22-10.

“I’m proud of our team and I’m proud of our school,” said Bulldogs Head Coach Kris Thigpen. “This is the first time Terry has beaten Pearl in school history. Our guys knew they had to come out and play hard and weather the storm. We knew Pearl was gonna fight hard in the second half. But, we made more plays and finally put together a complete game like I thought we could.”

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