Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and his wife Marty were in attendance during Week 2 of Friday Night Lights when Clarke Central overcame a 21-point halftime deficit to defeat Oconee County 37-36.
Kemp was honored as a Gladiator Great and got to flip the coin. He was part of Clarke Central’s 1979 state championship-winning football team, and his wife happened to be a grade younger than him and a cheerleader.
“They believed in it at halftime,” coach David Perno said. “Normally I would take them by surprise, but at halftime I was very calm and told them, ‘Look, it’s the second game.'”
Clarke Central got off to a rocky start, which both Perno and senior tight end Xayvion Berry noticed.
“We learned a valuable lesson,” Perno continued. “We didn’t practice well this week. We had the hangover from the win against Cedar Shoals and we just weren’t up to speed in the first half. We weren’t ready. It’s good to learn a lesson and still win. Next week we’ll practice at 6 a.m. to make sure they’re ready (for Jefferson).”
Senior running back Corey Watkins Jr. ended the Gladiators’ scoring drought with two minutes left in the first half, and senior quarterback Hezekiah Millender faked a pass and rushed in the two-point conversion. But tonight was no two-man show, and the culture shift this season proves it will never be that way again.
Millender now has more than Watkins Jr. in the backfield. The younger and other older players are coming to the forefront. They have developed a taste for the new Clarke Central. They want to change, bring back the good from the 2018-22 season and correct the mistakes of last season.
“We made big changes here,” Perno said. “Our standards are different. Our culture is really good and our expectations were a lot higher than they were in the first half. I just told them, you know, our goal is to win the second half. I wasn’t even worried about the game, I just wanted to see our identity shine through.”
Junior wide receiver Troy Rucker scored midway through the third quarter to tie the score right down the middle. With 42 seconds left, junior tight end Jamir Hall grabbed a stunning ball in the end zone and Watkins Jr. scored the two-point conversion to cut the game to one possession.
Sophomore wide receiver La’Gracion Little narrowly missed his first pass, but when they ran him back a second time, he was able to redeem himself and tie the game at 30-30. Oconee County didn’t miss a beat, sending sophomore running back Darius Heard on his way with the ball while senior kicker Bryce Queen’s PAT attempt was blocked.
“Our offense is dangerous,” said Millender, who recently transferred to Boise State. “We have all the wide receivers, we have all the tight ends, we have everything we need, and we just play great.”
With a minute left in regulation, Clarke was able to clear a path for Central. As with Little, they had to run the play twice and take inspiration from the Warriors, Perno said, by lining up a bigger and taller tight end against a small safety.
It was senior tight end Xayvion Berry who caught the game-winning pass, and the energy was palpable throughout Billy Henderson Stadium. Senior running back Skylier Walter Jr. intercepted a pass from senior quarterback Titus Watkins on the Warriors’ final drive to seal the win.
“The responsibility for safety was mine. I put my trust in our quarterback and executed it,” Berry said.
Next week, Clarke Central (2-0) travels to Jefferson (1-1) and Oconee County (0-2) travels to Morgan County (2-0).
