Panthers clip Clippers in opener

MT. PLEASANT - The Clear Creek-Amana football team once again entered their season-opener with Mt. Pleasant as one of Top-15 teams in Class 3A, but Mt. Pleasant answered the call again, edging the Clippers 28-27.

CCA came in one vote away from cracking the Top-10 in The Gazette preseason poll and almost their entire team back from last season, but that didn't seem to phase the Panthers on the first drive. Mt. Pleasant marched right down the field and scored on a 12-yard run by Jack Johnson. That was the only score of the first quarter, and the Panthers led 7-0 after one.

CCA began to turn the tide in the second quarter. The Clippers scored twice in the second period, once on the ground and once through the air, and took a 14-7 advantage into halftime. The lead could have been more, but Brady Hall forced a fumble inside the Clippers' red zone and Chase Williamson fell on it with just over a minute left in the half.

CCA was driving in the third quarter when defensive back Brevin Wilson made the defensive play of the game. Wilson picked a pass off at the Panther 10 and dashed all the way to the CCA 20 for a 70-yard return. That set the Panthers up for a short touchdown run by Isaiah Albright, which cut the lead to 14-13 after the missed extra point.

'It was one of our combination calls, and it felt right into my hands,” said Wilson. 'It was almos tlike a replica of practice, and it just so happened to fall right in.”

CCA drove the field again, but again were turned away with a big interception. This time it was Williamson, who stepped into an interception to get the ball back for Mt. Pleasant.

'It was a huge momentum shift, because they were moving the ball on us,” said Panther head coach Shawn Striegel. 'They were running and throwing the ball, and we were struggling to slow them down. In both situations, it gave us great field position, and the momentum to go ahead and move ahead on the scoreboard.”

And move ahead on the scoreboard they did. Mt. Pleasant drove down to the three-yard line and Johnson punched it in. He followed that by hitting Wilson on a two-point pass to stretch the lead to 21-14.

Early in the fourth quarter, CCA answered with a game-tying touchdown run by senior speedster Alex Figueroa, his second of the game, but the Panthers took the lead right back. Johnson got loose on a 42-yard scramble, finding the end zone and putting the Panthers back up, 28-21.

CCA scored one more touchdown in the game. Figueroa finished off the next Clipper drive with a seven-yard touchdown run. CCA went for the lead, though, on a jump pass to Wisconsin commit T.J. Bollers, a pass that went just off his fingertips, leaving the Panthers in a 28-27 lead.

Mt. Pleasant marched back down and got first down after first down to kill the clock. On a fourth-and-one with 1:04 remaining and the ball inside the red zone, Jackson used his legs again and picked up the game-sealing first down.

'I went up to my line and said, ‘if we finish this drive, it's our game,'” said Johnson. 'We mustered up just enough strength to get past them on that fourth-and-one.”

Johnson had a monster day on the ground, rushing for 193 yards and three scores. He also went 12-for-18 passing for 137 yards.

Williamson led the receiving core with 44 yards on two catches. Brennen Bender caught two balls for 41 yards. Avery Scandridge had four catches for 31.

The Panther defense was led by Hall, who had 7.5 tackles and a forced fumble. The Panthers won the turnover battle 3-0.

Mt. Pleasant will look to stay hot next week when the Panthers head to Tipton for their first road game.