Mitchell County at Clinch County
Second Round GHSA Playoffs
Date: 11/18/2016, 7:30 p.m.
Location: Donald Tison Field @ Panther Stadium (The Boneyard), Homerville, Ga.
Series Record: Clinch County leads (3-2)
Last Meeting: 8/30/13, Clinch County 22, Mitchell County 14
Mitchell County Eagles (9-2/7-2) (GHSA Region 1-A)
Record Last Season: (4-6/3-2)
Head Coach: Larry Cornelius, 5th Season (30-23)
Players of Impact
#3 Kentravious Williams, QB, 6-2/170 (2017) – 2,050 total yds, 29 TDs
#4 Demetrius Jones, WR/DE, 6-2/190 (2017) – 35 car, 615 yds, 8 TDs; 54 tackles, 9 TFLs, 5 sacks
#6 James Thomas, WR/KR, 6-1/175 (2020) – 982 APYs, 8 TDs
#9 Malik Barnes, LB, 6-0/215 (2019) – 105 tackles, 8 TFLs
#23 Kobe Butler, RB/KR, 5-8/205 (2017) – 1,495 APYs, 13 TDs
#33 Anthony McIntyre, LB, 5-11/210 (2018) – 101 tackles, 7 TFLs, 4 sacks
#38 Denarius Spence, LB, 6-0/170 (2018) – 65 tackles, 10 TFLs
Notes: The Eagles find themselves in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2003 after beating Randolph-Clay 46-14. Mitchell County has a chance to win 10 games in a season with a win over Clinch County, something they have not accomplished since 1999.
Offensively, the Eagles are averaging 339 yards and 38.2 points per game. They are led by senior signal-caller Kentravious Williams, who has accounted 2,050 yards and 29 touchdowns. He is aided in the backfield by senior running back Kobe Butler. Butler has rushed for 841 yards and 13 touchdowns on 114 carries.
Freshman sensation James Thomas has caught 20 passes for 371 yards and five touchdowns while carrying the ball 15 times for 155 yards and one score. He is also a threat as a return man, averaging 35.4 yards per kick return and 12.5 yards per punt return. Also making an impact at receiver is senior Demetrius Jones, who has caught 35 passes for 615 yards and eight touchdowns.
Defensively, Mitchell County is rendering 14.9 points per game, which includes four shutouts this season. The defensive unit is led by linebackers Malik Barnes and Anthony McIntyre, who have combined for 206 tackles and 15 tackles for loss. Junior ‘backer Denarius Spence has chipped in 65 tackles and an additional 10 TFLs.
Receivers Jones and Thomas double as defensive weapons. Jones comes off the edge for the Eagles, having racked up 54 tackles, nine TFLs and five sacks. Thomas has racked up 67 tackles and one pick.
Clinch County will be the toughest opponent that the Eagles have faced this year. They will need to figure out a way to stop the time-consuming single-wing attack. They must also take care of the football, as the Panthers have created a whopping 38 turnovers this year, most which have been turned into points.
Clinch County Panthers (9-1/7-0) (GHSA Region 2-A)
Record Last Season: (13-1/6-1) GHSA A-Public State Champions
Head Coach: Jim Dickerson, 13th Season (125-40-1)
Players of Impact
#1 Zebulon Johnson, APB, 5-9/160 (2017) – 41 car, 315 yds, 3 TDs, 3 catches, 19 yds, 2 TDs
#2 Octavious Morris, DE/WR, 6-2/215 (2017) – 43 tackles, 12 sacks; 4 catches, 46 yds, 3 TDs
#3 Shannon Young, RB, 5-9/195 (2017) – 67 car, 339 yds, 9 TDs; 4 catches, 96 yds, 3 TDs
#7 Trezman Marshall, QB/LB, 6-2/210 (2019) – 58 car, 391 yds, 5 TDs; 21-of-44, 485 yds, 13 TDs; 53 ST
#8 John Mincey, DE/DT, 6-4/260 (2018) – 40 ST
#9 Jervonta Johnson, CB, 6-2/200 (2017) – 21 ST, 1 INT, 1 FR
#10 Charles McClelland, QB/ATH, 6-0/170 (2018) – 119 car, 1,159 yds, 15 TDs; 7-of-22, 160 yds, 4 TDs
#50 Duane Moore, DT, 5-9/245 (2017) – 55 ST, 9 sacks
#5 Jerrod Jones, WR (2017) – 11 catches, 323 yds, 6 TDs
Notes: Coach Dickerson is no stranger to success in his 13 years at Clinch County. In his time at the helm, the Panthers have played for four state championships, winning three. They are the GHSA A-Public defending state champions and have not lost a home game to a fellow single-A team in the last 15 games.
Offensively, the Panthers are averaging 325 yards and 43.1 points per game. They are led by junior athlete/quarterback Charles McClelland, who leads the team in rushing with 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns on 119 carries. Also adding firepower to the Clinch County offense is super sophomore Trezman Marshall. Marshall has added 876 yards of offense and 18 scores.
Senior running backs Shannon Young and Zebulon Johnson have combined for 108 carries for 654 yards and 12 touchdowns. They have also caught seven passes for 115 yards and five scores. Though the Panthers rarely air it out, freshman Jeremiah Johnson has snagged 11 passes for 323 yards and six scores.
Defensively, Clinch County is giving up just 13.1 points per contest. In seven of the 13 games this season, they have allowed 13 points or less.
Defensive tackle Duane Moore is the team’s leading tackler with 55 solo stops and nine sacks. Watch out for defensive ends John Mincey and Octavious Morris to make a significant impact in the game. Mincey will be the most physically imposing player on the field at 6’4″, 260 pounds, while Morris leads the team with 12 sacks.
Safety Machari Bighams and corner Jervonta Johnson have recorded four of the 13 total picks this year for the Panthers. Johnson took his lone interception back for a score. Johnson took his lone interception back for a score. This is a very opportunistic defensive unit that has scored four defensive touchdowns and sacked the quarterback 47 times. Simply put, they wreak havoc.
Mitchell County is a worthy opponent that matches up well with size at the skill positions. Turnovers will surely play a huge role in the outcome of this game.
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Special thanks go out to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association (ghsfha.org).
