With an extra week of practice under their belt and a determination to get back in the win column after a disappointing loss to Wallace-Rose Hill, Clinton’s JV Dark Horses rolled into East Bladen ready to win and came away with a 35-0 routing of the Eagles.

Coach Michael Bell said his team really showed improvement in the Thursday game.

“We ran our stuff well. We made some adjustments after the Wallace game and it paid off,” Bell said.

Bell said the Wallace game had been a disappointing loss, but his team was determined to bounce back. “It was a tough loss but it helps us build character, makes us better players and makes us play better. Tonight we played with a lot of effort and it paid off.”

Quarterback Jonathan Wright got the ball rolling when, in the second play of the game, he hit Josh Armwood with a 38-yard pass that set up the touchdown by Albert Deaver. He took it into the end zone from 35 yards out. Wright got the extra point, and the score was 7-0.

From that point on, Clinton never looked back, scoring all of their points in the first half.

Raquan Faison scored the second touchdown of the night on a 31-yard run. Wright again got the point after.

Faison followed that up with another TD, this one from 52 yards out and again Wright got the PAT.

Clinton’s Tyree Payton scored on a 41-yard run, followed by teammate Kavon Dessus who went in from 32 yards out.

Wright made 3 of 4 extra point tries and Faison got a 2-point conversion to give the Horses a 35-0 lead going into the break.

Bell said Julian Wilkins had a good night as well, rushing for 70 yards on the night.

In the second, the defense held tough, preventing the Eagles from scoring.

Bell praised defensive coach Trey Fetterman and his team for playing strong and holding the home team.

“Coach Fetterman did a fantastic job with those boys. They forced five turnovers which helped us a great deal.”

The win moves the JV Horses to 2-1 overall. They begin conference play next Thursday when they play Richlands.