By Chris Megginson
ALABASTER – With only a handful of college football games on the schedule Saturday, Aug. 24, Clay-Chalkville High School took the field at Thompson High School’s Warrior Stadium underneath a banner which read “Show up to Show Out.” The fourth-ranked Cougars did exactly that, dominating the newly merged Dothan High School, 37-14, on neutral turf in the inaugural Go Gold Bowl.
Clay-Chalkville opened its season with a 16-0 lead in the first quarter, scoring all of its first-half points in less than two minutes. Samaj Washington intercepted a pass to set up the Cougars’ first scoring drive, capped by a 1-yard Justin Dawson run. CCHS recorded a quick safety on the ensuing kickoff, leading to a 9-0 lead and another touchdown a minute later — a 12-yard run by Damione Ward.
Dothan found momentum in the second quarter. Jamal Lane hit Jabre Barber on a 4-yard slant across the middle with 6:31 to play in the first half, scoring the Dothan Wolves’ historic first touchdown in school history.
Dothan closed the gap in the final minute of the first half, 16-14, when Lane turned a Cougar pass rush into a 9-yard touchdown run around the right side.
“I thought it started off good,” said CCHS head coach Drew Gilmer. “We got in a lull there and made some mistakes and got behind the chains (in the second quarter). Defensively we just couldn’t get them off the field and kind of got worn down. The heat got to us a little bit and opening game jitters. At halftime, we were able to make some adjustments and get our feet back underneath us and go back out and make some plays.”
It was all silver and blue in the second half, with Clay-Chalkville scoring three touchdowns in the next 12 minutes of action.
The Cougars extended their lead with 7:29 to play in the third quarter when Devin Owens punched straight through the line from 1 yard out. Moments later, the game entered a half-hour weather delay. CCHS came out of the delay to convert the extra point, pick up a defensive stop and sustain another scoring drive, this time a 1-yard TD run by Ward to make it 30-14 with 5:18 to play in the third.
With 1:09 remaining in the third, Ward found Lazarius Hinkle open on the left side of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown pass to cap CCHS’s scoring, 37-14.
Ward received his first varsity start under center, throwing for more than 200 yards and running for 56 more. He threw one touchdown pass and ran in two others.
“He’s been in the program for a long time and has played a lot of football for us in certain types of roles,” Gilmer said. “I thought he did a really good job at the quarterback position controlling our offense.”
Defensively, the Cougars forced four turnovers with Lamar Croskey picking off two passes; Cameron Grady had one and Washington had one.
“We have a whole new secondary, and I thought they did a real good job making plays to keep receivers underneath us,” Gilmer said. “It was a good job defensively of creating turnovers and putting them in stressful situations.”
The Go Gold Bowl, which raised money for childhood cancer through Children’s of Alabama and the Elaine Roberts Foundation, marked the Cougars’ second straight year opening the season on a Saturday.
“It’s fun,” Gilmer said. “We have a lot of new (coaches) here, and a lot of these guys have never coached on a Saturday. For the kids too, it’s a different experience. Everyone is used to playing on Friday nights, it’s good to mix it up.”
Clay-Chalkville (1-0) will return to Friday night action, Aug. 30, when it hosts Class 7A No. 9 James Clemens (0-1). The Jets lost their season opener Aug. 23 to Grayson (Ga.), 23-13.
