What We Saw: Clinton 48, Chester 20

Jed Blackwell November 22, 2024 @ 11:18 PM

CLINTON | [player_tooltip player_id='1603772' first='Rhett' last='Gilliam'] said his huge night came out of necessity. Whatever the reason, Clinton was sure glad to have it.   Gilliam rushed for 165 yards on 20 carries, scored twice, and helped spearhead a 432-yard rushing night for the Red Devils as Clinton beat Chester 48-20 in the second round of the 2A playoffs.   "It seemed like we were kind of getting stuck and the only thing that was working was right up the gut," Gilliam said. "My linemen were blocking perfectly and setting holes for me, and it was amazing."   Gilliam had some success from the very beginning. After the teams exchanged punts to start the game, Gilliam and the Red Devils' rushing attack took over. He did most of the work on Clinton's first touchdown drive, scoring from two yards out. He exploded for a big play on Clinton's next drive, making a nice move at the line, breaking into the open, and finishing a 30-yard score thanks to an outstanding block on the outside by WR Devin Swindler.   "Head down, low shoulders, they only had two defensive tackles, and it was just a smarter game plan to just try to power through right there," Gilliam said. "We see now that we can power-run the football down the field."   He wasn't the only Red Devils' RB with a big night. After Chester scored to cut the lead to 14-6, [player_tooltip player_id='1161156' first='Javen' last='Cook'] (pictured) got in on the act. After a long kick return by Chris Boyd, Cook scored from 40 yards out to push the lead to 21-6. Cook finished the night with 130 yards on 14 carries. [player_tooltip player_id='1603990' first='Angelo' last='Cromer'] and DJ Clark each surpassed 40 rushing yards on the night as well, Cromer added a rushing touchdown, KJ Vance had another, and the Red Devils averaged more than eight yards per carry as a team, largely behind the efforts of [player_tooltip player_id='1165753' first='Tre' last='Aiken'], [player_tooltip player_id='1247382' first='Clayton' last='Lawson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1360221' first='Cal' last='Pitts'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1247389' first='Hunter' last='Lawson'] up front.   [player_tooltip player_id='1012830' first='Tushawan' last='Richardson'] had an efficient night throwing the ball, finishing 6-for-9 for 52 yards and a seven-yard TD pass to Noah Garrett. Richardson added a touchdown on the ground for Clinton.   The Red Devils' defense did plenty, too. They forced three Chester turnovers, with two in key spots as a fumble recovery by [player_tooltip player_id='1639788' first='Jaydon' last='Glenn'] kept the Cyclones off the board before halftime and an interception by [player_tooltip player_id='150043' first='Brett' last='Young'] led to Richardson's score. Clinton held Chester to 131 yards on the ground, and brought consistent pressure against the Cyclones all night.   Chester had some success with sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1603999' first='Caleb' last='Feaster']. He had a huge night offensively, with 155 total yards and all three Cyclone touchdowns. Feaster scored on a 79-yard pass from [player_tooltip player_id='457973' first='Trooper' last='Floyd'] and on runs of 73 and 5 yards. Floyd rushed for 31 yards despite taking several hard shots, and threw for 179 yards and a score.

CLINTON | Rhett Gilliam Rhett Gilliam 5'10" | 190 lbs | RB Clinton | 2027 State SC said his huge night came out of necessity. Whatever the reason, Clinton was sure glad to have it.