Pickens Academy head coach Wade Goodman talks to his team during a timeout in the Pirates’ loss to Clarke Prep Friday night.
By Brian Hamilton, Sports Correspondent
Most Pickens Academy fans had yet to find their seats before the Pirates found themselves trailing 7-0 less than a minute into the game, as Clarke Prep running back Caden Bumpers took off for a 60-yard touchdown run. The Gators would score early and often en route to a 49-22 win.
“They were way more physical than we were,” Pickens Academy head coach Wade Goodman said. “They (Clarke Prep) were 1-5 before this game, but I think they came out and saw we didn’t have much size and it really lights a fire under them.”
Clarke Prep would score again on their next possession when quarterback John David Skipper tossed a 13-yard touchdown pass for a 14-0 lead with 5:26 left in the first quarter. Pickens Academy’s William Parker would throw an interception on the first play of the Pirates’ next drive, which resulted on a one-play Gators touchdown drive as Skipper threw a 40-yard touchdown pass for a 21-0 lead with 5:07 still to play in the first quarter.
Skipper would throw his third touchdown in the first quarter to give Clarke Prep a 28-0 lead on the 53-yard strike. Pickens Academy began to put together a solid drive at the end of the first quarter as Braden Davidson took off for a 34-yard run that also resulted in a facemask penalty against the Gators. The Pirates would trail 28-0 at the end of the first quarter.
See complete story in the Pickens County Herald.
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