The opening round of the NCHSAA 4A state playoffs delivered every bit of postseason drama under the lights at Dark Horse Stadium Friday night, as Clinton shook off a slow, uneven first half and stormed back late to defeat the Ledford Panthers 28-20 and advance to Round Two.
Ledford opened the night with the football at their own 35-yard line and attempted to set the tone early. Two quick plays pushed the Panthers to midfield, as junior running back Dominique Arthur wasted no time gashing the Clinton front for early yardage. But after converting another first down, Clinton stiffened. Ledford was stonewalled on back-to-back carries and faced a fourth and long. The Panthers chose to stay aggressive, rolling quarterback Cameron Eller out right for a short completion, but the Dark Horses swarmed and forced a turnover on downs.
The Dark Horses began building rhythm offensively behind quarterback Miles McCallop. A short completion to Zaire Strickland, followed by another connection to receiver Jonah Boone, led to a fourth and short that Clinton converted after drawing Ledford into an offside infraction. Moments later, McCallop rolled right on a play action call and found receiver Bryson Mozingo in the corner of the end zone for the first score of the playoffs. The extra point made it 7-0 Dark Horses and lit the crowd into full volume.
Ledford answered quickly with a sense of confidence. Arthur again found tough yards inside, while Eller hit the sticks for another first down. Then the Panthers perfectly disguised a fake screen play that left junior receiver Tyson Chavis wide open behind coverage for a tying touchdown. The extra point locked the game 7-7.
Clinton attempted to respond late in the first quarter, but after a few miscues, including a botched snap, the Dark Horses were forced into a long field goal attempt early in the second quarter that sailed wide. Ledford took advantage of momentum immediately as Arthur gashed for another chunk run, and Mason Scott ripped off a huge direct snap carry that flipped field position. Arthur eventually dragged the Panthers to the Clinton 3-yard line. Eller punched in a short touchdown keeper, making it 14-7 Ledford.
The Dark Horses grabbed composure with a long strike from McCallop to Boone that set up a deep shot opportunity. Clinton, despite penalties that backed them into long yardage, went right back at the Panthers’ secondary, and McCallop hit Boone in stride for a tying touchdown with 3:33 left in the half. Ledford closed the period with a field goal from kicker Graham Mitchell and entered halftime with a 17-14 lead.
What followed was the identity flip that defined the entire story.
Clinton opened the third quarter with renewed commitment. McCallop distributed the ball more efficiently, the run game began leaning forward, and Ledford committed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that moved the ball across midfield. The Horses still ran into adversity when a fumble on fourth and five gave Ledford possession at their own 30, but the Clinton defense began taking control at this point. Ledford managed only a field goal the rest of the way, hitting another deep attempt to make it 20-14 entering the final period.
From there, Clinton seized the night.
McCallop orchestrated the first score of the fourth quarter with a calm strike left to Mozingo and then found Zaire Strickland in the end zone to give the Dark Horses a 21-20 lead. Clinton immediately followed that with a relentless defensive push. Multiple passes were batted down at the line, pressure forced hurried throws from Eller, and on fourth down, the Panthers mishandled a punt snap that Clinton stopped the eluding punter at the Ledford 16. After a pass interference penalty set the ball at the 10, running back Gavin Miller bulldozed his way to paydirt to expand the lead to 28-20.
Within the final minutes, defensive leaders stepped into full command. Deavonte Faison delivered key tackles for loss, Kelly Nere recorded a critical sack, and Clinton swarmed every Ledford snap. With 42 seconds left, facing the final desperation possession, Eller saw his last throw fall incomplete under tight pressure. Clinton took over and finished the night in victory formation to secure the eight-point win and move on to Round Two.
Clinton head coach Johnny Boykin said the transformation after halftime was entirely internal.
“Well, first, to God be the glory, nobody can say they can get credit for this but Him. Kids work. We got really sluggish in the first half. Not a lot of energy in the stadium. They responded in the second half, came out, had some adversity… defense stepped up, held him out. It was a great team win.”
Boykin said the second half was not about adjustments on a whiteboard, but the will to refuse to let the season end.
“I told them at halftime, this is about what you are willing to do. This will not be about Coach Boykin. It is about what you are willing to do. And they came out responding. We did what we normally do and ran the same stuff. They just answered.”
Clinton now prepares for a Round Two matchup with T.W. Andrews. For Boykin, it is a personal return to a program where he once coached and developed his roots.
“That is where I cut my coaching teeth. I spent some great years there. We know what kind of team they will have, and they know us. It is going to be a battle. But we have the people who can go get it.”
The postseason continues next week, away for the Dark Horses, at 7 p.m. in High Point.