Hawks’ playoff run ends, progress shines
Clinton Middle School’s football season came to an end Thursday evening, Oct. 22, but not before the Hawks completed an impressive turnaround that included a trip to the second round of the playoffs.
The Hawks fell 34-18 to host Maury Middle School, a team who Clinton Head Coach Eric Woodard described as “very big and very physical.”
Despite the loss, Woodard considered the season a success as Clinton finished 6-4, a significant improvement over last year’s 2-6 campaign.
“I thought we had a really good season,” Woodard said. “Kids played well; we got better as the year went on. I was very pleased with the record we ended up with, 6-4.
“So to make the second round of the playoffs, in the first year in the new league, also was good because we had lots of improvement coming off of a 2-6 season last year.”
Against Maury, Clinton quarterback Westin Glandon completed 3 of 10 passes for 73 yards.
Jacob Deel caught two passes for 46 yards, including a touchdown reception.
Christian Frazi provided a spark for the Hawks with a 70-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He also hauled in a 27-yard touchdown pass.
Defensively, Kooper Baylis led Clinton with five solo tackles and five assists. Glandon added four solo tackles and four assists.
Frazi contributed one solo tackle, three assists and an interception.
Luke Whitt recorded one solo tackle and one assist, while Deel finished with one solo tackle and one assist. Owen Griffith added one solo stop.
Although the Hawks made significant strides this season, Woodard knows another challenge awaits as Clinton prepares for 2027.
“We will lose a lot of talented eighth-graders, so we’ll just have to reload for next year for sure,” Woodard said.
Still, the Hawks have plenty to build on after improving their win total by four games and advancing to the second round of the playoffs.