By Bobby Mathews, sports editor
CLAY-CHALKVILLE — Forget the fact that Clay-Chalkville walked the dog on Shades Valley 39-17 to open the season last year. When Shades Valley went out and signed Reuben Nelson to lead their program after the 2020 season, the Mounties became dangerous.
Nelson is the man who built Ramsay — a school that hadn’t had a football team for 36 years — into a powerhouse program, and it didn’t take him long to do it. Within three years, the Rams had a 10-win season. Two years later, they won the 5A state title. In 2020, Nelson’s Rams went to the semifinals in 5A.
As the No. 3-ranked team in 6A, the Cougars are prepared for the kind of teams that Nelson normally fields.
“We’re expecting a great game, great competition,” Clay-Chalkville head coach Drew Gilmer said. “That’s what Shades Valley always does anyway, but we’re familiar with Reuben. He’s a great coach, and his teams are always disciplined and play well.”
However, there’s an air of mystery for what this game holds.
“We’re kind of going in blind,” Gilmer said. “We haven’t gotten to see any film of them yet, but I think they’re probably going to be, schematically, totally different. They had a quarterback who graduated, so there’ll be a new quarterback, new personnel on the team.”
The coach stressed that the Cougars needed to play well, but more than that, the game will come down to which team executes better. In an early-season test, the team that makes the least mental miscues often comes out the victor.
“We look at it like this: It’s about us. It’s about what we do,” Gilmer said. “Can you eliminate mistakes? Can you be disciplined? Are you going to be accountable? Mentally, we have to be sharp.”
Khalib Johnson put on a show last year for Clay-Chalkville. The Louisville commit, a 6-foot, 2-inch senior quarterback passed for 1,923 yards last year in a season that saw the Cougars go 11-2. Expect Johnson to target Marquarius White, while Edward Osley will carry the load on the ground. Lamar Croskey will be key in the defensive backfield for the Cougars.
Clay-Chalkville hosts Shades Valley Friday Night at home. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
