[10/26/02]All night Friday, it seemed like Warren Central was one step away from a big play and another victory. Unlike the previous eight games, however, the extra step never came for the Vikings.

Clinton’s defenders made ankle tackles to save touchdowns. Their powerful running game controlled the ball for nearly 33 minutes. Passes and interceptions were dropped by the Vikings. And in the end, one of the last unbeaten teams in Class 5A fell from the ranks.

Clinton running back Paul Cavett ran for 169 yards and Sam Cole kicked two first-half field goals as the Arrows (6-3, 4-1 Region 2-5A) handed WC its first loss of the season, 6-0 at Viking Stadium. It also created a logjam atop the Region 2-5A standings. with Clinton, WC and Vicksburg, a 12-9 winner over Callaway, all tied for first at 4-1.

“Give our guys credit, they fought. We just didn’t make the plays we have been making,” WC coach Robert Morgan said. “I heard somebody yell up in the stands that these guys don’t care. These guys care, and they played hard.”

WC turned the ball over three times on fumbles. The last one came at the Clinton 40 with just under a minute to play when Amos Chase caught a pass and had the ball knocked out as he stretched for extra yardage.

Clinton’s Sharmarick Younger recovered, and the Arrows were able to run out the clock to preserve the win.

“It comes down to who makes plays at any given time,” Clinton coach Pete Hurt said. “It was two evenly matched teams, and we were the ones who happened to make one more play tonight.”

The Vikings were as frustrated by the plays they didn’t make as the ones Clinton did make.

Clinton took the lead with a 16-play, 88-yard drive over the last part of the first quarter and the early part of the second. The drive took more than 8 1/2 minutes off the clock, and ended when Cole booted a 23-yard field goal on fourth-and-1 from the WC 6-yard line.

The Arrows seemed to move the ball at will against the Vikings on the drive, and converted two fourth downs. Hurt said he thought about going for it on fourth down again, but decided to take the easy points.

“I did, but I felt like getting points on a night like tonight,” Hurt said, referring to the light rain that fell throughout the game.

After an exchange of fumbles and a WC punt put Clinton back on its own 29, WC literally dropped the ball on their best scoring chance of the night.

Clinton quarterback Mike Cashion tried to throw a quick hitch to a receiver near the sideline, and WC cornerback Antonio Brown read it perfectly. Brown jumped the route and had nothing but open field in front of him but the ball bounced off his hands and fell incomplete.

Clinton eventually punted on that possession, but later extended the lead to 6-0 on Cole’s 27-yard field goal with one second left in the half. The Arrows held the ball for 16 1/2 minutes and Cavett ran for 109 yards in the first half.

“I give it up to my offensive line. They’ve blocked well all year,” Cavett said. “They gave me about four or five yards a carry. Every time they give me that, I’m going to take it.”

WC moved the ball well in the third quarter, but Richmond Fields fumbled an option pitch at the Clinton 45 and two other drives stalled after the Vikings got a couple of first downs.

Clinton, meanwhile, simply held onto the ball and milked the clock. The Arrows only had one extended drive in the second half and gained just five first downs, yet held the ball for 16 minutes, 11 seconds.

“They kept the ball away from us,” Morgan said.

The Vikings punted the ball away with less than five minutes remaining, but the defense held and they got it back at their own 37 with 2:09 to play.

Quarterback Jeremy Ferguson completed short passes to Chase and Larry King to move the ball just past midfield, then threw two incompletions. Ferguson completed another pass to Chase on third down, but the ball came loose as Chase tried to stretch for the first down.

WC used its timeouts and forced Clinton to a third-and-1 situation, but Cashion got the first down on a quarterback sneak to seal the win.