BLACKSVILLE – BLACKSVILLE – For just the second time in program history, the Clay-Battelle football team is bound for the state semifinals.
The third-seeded Cee-Bees punched their ticket to the final four in Class A with a dominant victory over No. 11 Wirt County, 46-14, on Saturday evening at The Joe and Louie Statler Athletic Complex.
Clay-Battelle (11-1) controlled the ground game as it has done all season, rushing for 355 yards and scoring five of its touchdowns on 41 carries against the Tigers.
Two players surpassed the century mark for the Cee-Bees as junior quarterback Corey Coen and sophomore running back Caleb Hall totaled over 100 yards and multiple touchdowns in the contest.
Hall carried 17 times for 163 yards and a pair of touchdowns, with Coen attempting 13 rushes for 106 yards and three scores. He added two passing touchdowns as well on only four completions.
The C-B defense won the turnover battle, 4-0, recovering a fumble and forcing three interceptions from Wirt County quarterback Tyler Smith, who completed 12 of 23 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown to go along with the three picks.
“We had a game plan to slow down their quarterback; he’s very accurate and throws a really nice ball,” C-B head coach Aaron LaPoe said. “They’re also good at the line of scrimmage, so our game plan was to try and get ahead early and control the clock, and try to keep their offense from making big plays.”
That’s precisely what the Cee-Bees did from the opening kickoff, forcing a punt from the Tigers after a three-and-out.
C-B turned the ball over on downs for its opening drive on offense, but came up with its first interception of the night a few plays later through Trey Huggins.
Coen scored his first touchdown of the night seven plays later to open the scoring. Another turnover by the hosts led to another score, this time as Cody Clovis intercepted Smith in the endzone. That made way for Hall to score his first on a 17-yard tote, doubling the lead.
Three touchdowns for the Cee-Bees came off three turnovers produced by the defense in the first half.
Coen’s third touchdown of the half gave the Cee-Bees a 34-0 lead entering the break.
“Corey is just a tough kid,” LaPoe said. “The quarterback is the leader of the team, and when your quarterback is that tough, it helps the overall identity of the team and who we are.”
Coen says he knows he has a special responsibility as the team’s leader, but he’s not doing it for himself.
“We have some great seniors on this team, and this is special because of them,” Coen said. “They’ve worked so hard, and I truly believe my job is to help them get to where they want to be.”
It’s that unselfish mindset that has the Cee-Bees in the semis of the Class A playoffs for the second time ever, and what could carry them to the program’s first opportunity at a state championship.
Colt Sandy and Hall added the final two touchdowns of the night for Clay-Battelle, who will host No. 7 Cameron in the semifinals on Saturday.
The Dragons (8-3) upset No. 2 Wahama on the road on Friday night, 42-16, in what was a rematch of last season’s Class A state championship game.
Cameron is also responsible for the only blemish on the Cee-Bees’ record this season, following a 22-16 victory in the opening week of the season.
Box score
SCORING SUMMARY
C-B – Coen 17 run (2pt no good)
C-B – Hall 17 run (2pt good/Coen run)
C-B – Payton 11 pass/Coen (2pt no good)
C-B – Coen 9 run (2pt no good)
C-B – Coen 1 run (2pt good/Payton run)
C-B – Sandy 11 pass/Coen (2pt no good)
WIRT – Hartford 7 run (2pt good/Wyer 3 pass from Smith)
C-B – Hall 63 run (2pt no good)
WIRT – Lemley 61 pass/Smith (2pt no good)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Clay-Battelle – Hall 17-163 2TD, Coen 13-106 3TD, Snodgrass 11-86. Wirt County – Hartford 18-92 TD, Morgan 5-11, Smith 1-8, Lemley 2-4, Hickman 1-4.
PASSING: Clay-Battelle – Coen 4-10 92 2TD. Wirt County – Smith 12-23-3 147 TD.
RECEIVING: Clay-Battelle – Clovis 1-36, Ponceroff 1-34, Sandy 1-11 TD, Payton 1-11 TD. Wirt County – Lemley 5-95 TD, Moore 3-29, Wyer 3-15, Hickman 1-8.
