Ray, defense power Booneville to win over Clarksville

BOONEVILLE 30, CLARKSVILLE 0

BOONEVILLE — The first play after entering the game Friday night didn’t go well for Booneville backup quarterback Evan Schlinker, but he was able to bounce back quickly after that.

Schlinker had his first snap end up being a fumble for a turnover. The Booneville offense got rolling after that though with the help of the defense to pull away with a 30-0 victory against Class 5A Clarksville at Bearcat Stadium.

“He is a very skilled quarterback running the option,” Booneville coach Scott Hyatt said of Schlinker. “He is just a little green and hasn’t had the experience. Once we get a few games under his belt, we will feel real comfortable with him. He did a great job coming in to help us out.”

Schlinker was forced into action early because of an injury to three-year starter Brandon Ulmer, who left after being tackled late in the first quarter and didn’t return to the game.

“Brandon runs our offense well and is like having a coach on the field,” Hyatt said. “He means a lot to us. He was all-state as a junior and is starting for a third year for us. He throws the

ball well for us when we ask.”

Carson Ray led the offense finishing with 119 yards including two touchdowns on 14 carries for the Bearcats. Michael Hesson also added 101 yards and a touchdown on eight attempts.

Schlinker was aided by the Bearcat defense that recovered three fumbles, had two interceptions and even forced a safety in the shutout victory.

“I was really proud of our defense and their play,” Hyatt said. “That’s a tough offense to stop with all their motion. I thought they played with great effort and fire. We never gave up. I was proud of them.”

Noah Reyes, Jeremy Elliott and Anthony McKesson recovered fumbles for Booneville, while Hesson and Dalton Tatum intercepted passes for the Bearcats.

Booneville was able to take a 21-0 edge into halftime with the help of its backup quarterback and taking advantage of the turnovers.

The Bearcats scored their three first-half touchdowns following a turnover on downs, a fumble recovery and an intercepted pass.

Hesson scored on a 30-yard touchdown run to give Booneville a 7- 0 lead with less than three minutes left in the initial quarter.

Reyes scooped up a fumble for the Bearcats, which then led to a one- play scoring drive capped by a 50-yard run from Ray. That gave Booneville a 14-0 lead.

“We have enough speed that we can hit those big plays,” Hyatt said. “Sometimes it is about grinding it out with little plays. This offense has worked for us, so we are going to keep with it.”

The Bearcat defense helped set up another scoring opportunity with an interception caught by Hesson. Ethan Dobbs found the end zone on a 42-yard run to push the advantage out to 21-0 with four minutes left before the break.

Clarksville’s eight firsthalf drives ended with two punts, two turnovers on downs, two fumbles, an interception and with the halftime clock cutting the last one short. Booneville’s defense finished with 10 firsthalf tackles for a loss as well.

“We were competitive tonight, but we had some turnovers and some dropped passes that could’ve helped us out,” Clarksville coach Khris Buckner said. “I feel like we could’ve been right there if we had some big plays go our way. But I give Booneville a lot of credit. They are a very good team and played well.”

Booneville was able to open up its lead after the break with a 5- yard score from Ray then capped the scoring off with a safety early in the fourth quarter.

“We knew this was going to be a tough matchup,” Buckner said. “We didn’t match them at times. I can’t say anything but give credit to Booneville. They did a good job. I don’t think we have been stopped like this past two years.”