No. 5 Sherman rolls past No. 12 Clay-Battelle, 34-6
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SETH -- For the second time in three seasons the Sherman football team is advancing in the Class A postseason as the No. 5 seed.
The Tide knocked out No. 12 Clay-Battelle in a first-round clash at Zontini Field on Saturday and rolled to a 34-6 win.
Coach Kevin Buzzard’s squad avenged a heartbreaking 16-14 loss to the Cee-Bees at Blacksville in the 2025 season.
The Tide will now travel to 4th-seeded East Hardy for a quarterfinal bout after the Cougars defeated 13th-seeded Webster County 50-36 in first round action.
Last year, East Hardy eliminated Sherman 42-20 in an opening round battle.
“It feels great,” Buzzard said. “It’s going to be a tough week next week, tough game. We’ll figure out when we’re going to play, but East Hardy’s tough. They’re always tough, and they always play us tough, so hopefully we can go up there, play an A-game, and bring home another victory.”
Sherman’s Levi Sprouse ran all over Clay-Battelle with 164 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.
“Levi was phenomenal,” Buzzard said. “His motor doesn’t quit. He’s a hard, tough-nosed runner, and he leads this team offensively and defensively. He does well defensively.”
The 2-point conversion was no good, but Sherman led Clay-Battelle 6-0 with 6:59 left in the first quarter after a 14-yard touchdown run by Chase Southern.
A 15-yard touchdown pass from Eli Pauley to Colby Atkins and a 2-point conversion by Southern gave the Tide a 14-0 advantage over the Cee-Bees with 11:14 left in the first half.
Despite a failed 2-point try, Clay-Battelle pulled within 14-6 of Sherman with 1:23 before the break via a 32-yard touchdown pass from Corey Coen to Cody Clovis.
The Tide surged to a 22-6 advantage over the Cee-Bees with 9:25 remaining in the 3rd stanza after Sprouse ran for a 22-yard score and Pauley converted the 2-point attempt.
The 2-point conversion failed, but Sherman led Clay-Battelle 28-6 with 4:15 left in the third period after an 8-yard touchdown rush by Parkar Platt.
Sherman continued to cruise with 9:03 left in the ballgame via a 14-yard touchdown throw from Pauley to Bryce Mooney to make it 34-6. The 2-point attempt was unsuccessful, however.
It was Mooney’s first game this season after breaking his back in the summer.
“It was a good, emotional night for him, and his cousin is the quarterback, so that was a pretty good little combo touchdown right there,” Buzzard said. “They’ve been playing together since they were in midget league. That was good to see.”
Buzzard thought hard work was the key to the Tide’s dusting of the Cee-Bees, and he said Sherman’s offensive line dominated.
“We just stayed focused,” Buzzard said. “These kids, they had something to prove. Last year, with that loss, we were a No. 5 seed last year playing No. 12, and usually that No. 5 and 12, that seeding right there, it’s not very good sometimes for the 5 seed.
“It seems like that in every program. So, we just stuck with it, played tough, and we knew what we were wanting to do.”
Pauley completed 13 of 17 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns while Platt (9 carries, 54 yards) and Southern (3, 21) each ran for a score as well.
Atkins (4 catches, 46 yards) and Mooney (3, 25) each hauled in a touchdown throw. Platt and Southern each intercepted a pass on defense.
Coen made good on 7 of 19 throws for 100 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. He also led Clay-Battelle in the ground game, keeping the ball 7 times for 38 yards.
Clovis had 5 receptions for 84 yards and a score, and Caleb Snodgrass and Dominc Sakacsi each recovered a fumble for the Cee-Bees.
“We’ve got 4 seniors, and about half our team is freshmen,” Clay-Battelle coach Aaron LaPoe said. “So, it was a tall task for them to even get this far. We obviously wanted to win, but Sherman has a really good ball club. They’re a complete team. What you have to do is win the line of scrimmage, and they did that.”
LaPoe said the players returning next season must get in the weight room and win the line of scrimmage.
He mentioned that he’s going to miss coaching the team’s four seniors, which were Coen, Snodgrass, Clovis, and Caleb Bragg.
The Cee-Bees coach spoke positively about each of them.
“There’s only four of them, but they do a lot for the team, so, big shoes to fill, for sure,” LaPoe said.
Box score
Clay-Battelle 0 6 0 0 -- 6
Sherman 6 8 14 6 -- 34
SCORING SUMMARY
S–Chase Southern 14-yard run (run failed)
S–Eli Pauley 15-yard pass to Colby Atkins (Southern run)
C-B–Corey Coen 32-yard pass to Cody Clovis (2-point conversion failed)
S–Levi Sprouse 22-yard run (Pauley run)
S–Parkar Platt 8-yard run (pass failed)
S–Pauley 14-yard pass to Bryce Mooney (pass failed)