WAYNESVILLE — The paddle is returning to Waynesville for the first time since 2011. The Spartans took down the defending Division IV state champion Clinton-Massie Falcons 14-7 Friday in the Battle for the Paddle between the rivals separated by Caesar Creek Lake.
“This was (Waynesville’s) Super Bowl. They came in and just beat us,” CM head coach Dan McSurley said. “I thought our defense actually played really, really well, but our offense kind of fell apart tonight in every aspect.
“The problem is we just have a lot of youth and inexperience in a lot of critical positions. The only thing we can do now is just get better, try to keep chugging away, and hopefully these younger kids that we’re playing can step up and develop and get better.”
Massie looked every bit the defending champ in the first quarter, chewing the game’s first 11:30 off the clock with a 19-play, 83-yard drive to take a 7-0 lead. The drive, during which the Falcons converted three third downs and a fourth down, ended on Gavan Hunter’s 10-yard scamper into the end zone.
After that, mistakes plagued the young, inexperienced team that lost 25 seniors from last year’s state title team.
First there was a blocked field goal attempt. Then there was a blocked punt. The Spartans made the Falcons pay for that one with a 32-yard pass on the next play from Blaise Sizer into the hands of Joe Stone, which knotted the game at 7-7 just before the intermission.
The second half was a defensive slugfest, with neither offense reaching paydirt. The only scoring breakthrough came on Connor Berrey’s 11-yard scoop-and-score for what would be the game-winner at the 3:13 mark of the third quarter.
Massie had another field goal attempt blocked, from 28 yards out at the 8:16 mark of the fourth quarter.
The Falcons had one final chance to tie or take the lead when they got the ball back at their 7 with 2:25 left in the contest. Waynesville sacked Massie signal-caller Keegan Lamb at the 1 on the first play and held CM to no gain on the next two plays before intercepting Lamb on fourth down with 16 seconds left to seal the victory.
SUMMARY
Aug 19, 2022
@Waynesville High School
Waynesville 14, Clinton-Massie 7
CM – 7 0 0 0 – 7
WHS – 0 7 7 0 – 14
First Quarter
CM – Hunter 10 run (McGuinness kick), :30.
Second Quarter
WHS – Stone 32 pass from Sizer (Berrey kick), 1:12.
Third Quarter
WHS – Berrey 11 fumble recovery (Berrey kick), 3:13.
Fourth Quarter
No scoring.
Individual Statistics
RUSHING – Clinton-Massie Chesser 16-124, Clutter 15-80, McDowell 4-60, Hunter 9-41, Lamb 19-36. Total 63-341.
PASSING – Clinton-Massie Lamb 1-6-(-7).
RECEIVING – Clinton-Massie McDowell 1-(-7).
