Gavin McLaughlin throws for 3 TDs, C-B runs past Valley Wetzel
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PINE GROVE - Caleb Hall rushed for 187 yards and Cody Clovis returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown to grab the headlines, but Clay-Battelle picked up its first victory of the season by maybe saving its best when the pressure was on.
The Cee-Bees converted two fourth-down plays into touchdowns, on their way to a 34-20 victory against Valley Wetzel.
Clay-Battelle (1-1) picked up the win coming off a bye week, but head coach Aaron LaPoe still finds himself working to find the right combinations, while dealing with key injuries.
For starters, quarterback Corey Coen was still unable to play quarterback. His injured hand turned out to be a broken thumb, so Coen - playing with his hand in a cast - has switched to fullback on offense and middle linebacker on defense.
"I'm not sure if there's ever been a guy who was all-state on offense one year and then came back to be all-state on defense the next year, but Corey just may do that. He flies around the field on defense and he's really taken to middle linebacker.
"Valley does a lot of things with fakes and misdirection, but Corey remained disciplined and just kept making plays for us on defense."
C-B also played without starters Dominic Sakacsi and Caleb Snodgrass, but may have found a suitable replacement at quarterback in sophomore Gavin McLaughlin, who threw two touchdown passes on fourth-down plays.
His first came on a fourth-and-10, when McLaughlin found a wide open Daman Coen for a 50-yard score. He followed that up with a touchdown pass to Hall on fourth-and-one.
"Gavin is a terrific athlete and the great thing about him is he's very serious about wanting to be a good football player," LaPoe said. "He was in the weight room all summer and he works extremely hard. He's also bigger (6-foot-6), so he's able to see more of the field over our line and we may be able to do some different things with that. He's got a different skill set."
McLaughlin finished with three touchdown passes in the game, adding another deep ball to Cody Clovis for his third one.
"He does a nice job of distributing the ball, especially for a sophomore," LaPoe added. "On his deep ball to Coen, we were actually looking for (Clovis) on that play, but Gavin stayed patient and found Damon for a nice play."
Hall's 187 yards came on 21 carries, an average of 8.9 per rush, while McLaughlin added 127 yards through the air and he completed 9 of 19 passes.
Clay-Battelle's defense also stepped up when Clovis returned an interception from one end zone to the other and T.J. Barr also picked up a fumble and returned it 40 yards for another score.
"Defensively, we're starting to get better and we're getting back some guys on that side of the field who can really help us," LaPoe said. "Our offensive line is also starting to get better. You could see things were just beginning to click out there. They're starting to figure things out."
C-B will host Tucker County at 7 p.m. next Friday. The Mountain Lions (1-2) will be coming off a 43-14 loss against East Hardy.