Clarksdale High School junior quarterback Tamera Allen was cleared to return from an injury one day before the Wildcats were scheduled to host Choctaw County.
It took Allen one half to get in his groove, CHS (3-3) fell into a 23-point halftime hole and could not complete a second-half comeback. The Wildcats lost 35-26 Friday night.
Allen finished 13 of 20 passing for 170 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He threw a pick 6 on a tipped ball in the first quarter to put the Wildcats in a 21-0 deficit.
“Allen had three picks to tonight and one pick 6,” Wildcats coach Henry Johnson said. “I mean Allen kept us in the game, too.”
Quintarius Lester, who also had two receptions for 34 yards and had 89 rushing yards, ran for a 53-yard touchdown with 10:14 remaining in the third quarter. Allen ran in the 2-point conversion to cut Choctaw County’s lead to 35-20.
Sammie Ray also ran for a 1-yard touchdown with 7:40 remaining in the fourth quarter. After a dead ball foul, the Wildcats were forced to go for a 2-point conversion from the 17-yard-line. Allen completed the pass to Josh Hollins, but the 2-point conversion was negated with a 10-yard holding penalty. The Wildcats missed the 2 on the following play.
Allen ran for a touchdown for more than 50 yards in the second half that was called back on a holding penalty.
Johnson took issue with the officiating.
“They say we held on that long touchdown that Tamera Allen ran,” Johnson said. “He pulled and ran the touchdown. That’s the difference in the ballgame. That’s 10 points. We’re 36 and we win. Then we get a penalty on the goal line and they move us back out of 2-point conversion. I don’t understand it. We still can’t spot a team 35 points. We didn’t even play football in the first half.”
Allen did throw one of his interceptions in the red zone during the second half.
In spite of the missed opportunities and the fact that the Wildcats are now on a three-game losing streak, Johnson remained encouraged.
“I was very encouraged by the play in the second half,” he said.
Johnson did not give a long halftime speech when his team trailed 35-12.
“If they want to win, they got to play ball,” he said. “That’s all I told them. It’s up to you. If you want to win, you’ve got to play football.”
Tommy Washington led Clarksdale in receiving with three catches for 67 yards, while Hollins had five receptions for 53 yards and one touchdown.
Queston Skipper kept Clarksdale in the game during the first half and finished with 13 rushes for 134 yards and one touchdown, while Ray had eight rushes for 38 yards and one touchdown.
“Sammie came in and helped us, too,” Johnson said. “I just thought we missed some key opportunities tonight. We dropped a touchdown before halftime. I thought Sammie Ray could have hit the sideline before halftime. We should have scored before halftime. That would have cut the score to 35-20 possibly. We didn’t get that score at halftime and came out and scored twice in a row. The game should have been tied early in the fourth quarter.”
Zeilon Chestnut led the defense with one sack and 12 tackles, while Chris Williams had two pass deflections.
De’meric Strong forced one fumble.
Johnson said the defense is going to have to make improvements going into next week and play the way it did during the second half.
“I’m at peace because I gave these kids everything I had,” he said. “This coaching staff, we gave these kids everything we had to get ready for this ballgame and these kids got to play football. They’ve got to stop the run. They can’t let people run over them.”
Clarksdale’s homecoming is 7 p.m. Friday in the district opener against Yazoo City.
“We’re going to be fighting for a winning season and a playoff spot,” Johnson said. “That’s what we’re fighting for now, a winning season.”
