2023 Preview: Clinton Red Devils
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<p>The summer, like for most teams, has flown by for Corey Fountain and Clinton. The Red Devils lone defeat came in the Upper State Championship to Powdersville to conclude the 2022 season. Fountain has been impressed with the work ethic from his guys from that time until now.</p>
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<p>“Our guys have been grinding it out since then. Proud of our coaches' work ethic in getting them ready for this year and here it is. You start summer, you think man, summer's here and now boom, our last workout for the summer. It seems so short. I'm excited about this year. I'm excited about our team. (We've) got a great group of young men. Not just football players, but young men,” Fountain told Prep Redzone SC earlier this summer.</p>
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<p>The Red Devils only have three starters on offense coming back. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='241184' first='Rion' last='Gordon'] </strong>returns at center, <strong>Jayden Robinson</strong> returns at running back, after amassing over 1,000 yards in 2022. On defense, the Red Devils return five starters including <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='150043' first='Brett' last='Young'], </strong>who is one of the Red Devils' best linebackers. <strong>Tushuwan Richardson</strong> will likely be the quarterback as well, based on what we saw at the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2023/08/what-we-saw-bill-pate-white-rose-classic/">Bill Pate White Rose Classic on Friday, August 11.</a></p>
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<p>Clinton opens the season on the road against Batesburg-Leesville next Friday night, August 18.</p>
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<p><strong>STARS SET TO SHINE</strong></p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='771037' first='Zay' last='Johnson'],</strong> WR/DB, 2024 – Good luck trying to complete a ball when the Cincinnati commit (pictured above) is covering a receiver. Johnson has great body control and can go find the ball at its highest point.</p>
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<p><strong>Tray Cook, </strong>CB/WR, 2024 – Cook is dynamic with the ball in his hands as he can make plays on jet sweeps and force a defense to cover the field sideline to sideline.</p>
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<p><strong>Kason Copeland, </strong>RB/LB, 2025 – Copeland will be another strong linebacker for the Red Devils. He had 78 tackles, 16 tackles for loss with one forced fumble and one blocked kick in 2022.</p>
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<p><strong>BIGGEST LOSS</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Bryson James, </strong>2023, RB – The Mr. Football Finalist was a do it all guy on offense, defense and special teams and his production will be missed.</p>
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<p><strong>FILM REVIEW</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Kadon Crawford, </strong>2024, WR/TE/LB – Crawford<strong> </strong>will be looked upon as a leader at wide receiver and tight end in 2023. He can stretch the field vertically and make contested catches. He can also come up and make tackles in run support. It is also a plus that he is an aggressive blocker at the point of attack, which is key in the Red Devils' run first attack.</p>
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<p><strong>UP AND COMING POTENTIAL</strong></p>
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<p><strong>DJ Clark </strong>and <strong>Kendarious Copeland</strong>, RB/LB<strong>, </strong>2025 – Both Clark and Copeland run the ball hard and add another threat for the Red Devils' loaded back field.</p>
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The summer, like for most teams, has flown by for Corey Fountain and Clinton. The Red Devils lone defeat came in the Upper State Championship to Powdersville to conclude the 2022 season. Fountain has been impressed with the work ethic from his guys from that time until now.
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