Warren

Clintondale football off to 2-0 start after besting Warren Lincoln

By Jason Carmel Davis
C & G Sports Writer

» click to enlarge « Photo by David Schreiber Clinton Township Clintondale quarterback Jacob Smith (4) rushed for two scores and returned an interception for another in the Dragons' 44-18 win over Warren Lincoln Aug. 30 at Lincoln. Photo by David Schreiber Clinton Township Clintondale quarterback Jacob Smith (4) rushed for two scores and returned an interception for another in the Dragons' 44-18 win over Warren Lincoln Aug. 30 at Lincoln.

WARREN — Big plays told the story as the Clinton Township Clintondale football team downed Warren Lincoln 44-18 Aug. 30 at Lincoln.

The two teams were knotted at zero after a mostly sloppy first quarter. The Dragons found their footing early in the second, though, as quarterback Jacob Smith scored on a 7-yard run to give the Dragons a 6-0 lead 11 seconds into the second stanza. That score was set up by a 54-yard scamper by Clintondale running back James Gibson and a 22-yard run by running back Malik Hazzard.

The Dragons (2-0, 1-0 Macomb Area Conference Bronze Division)) added three more scores in the second, capped off by a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown by Smith, who pulls double duty as a cornerback. That put Clintondale up 28-0 going into the break.

"(Lincoln) came out and played a lot more physical than we anticipated in the first quarter, but we just continued to play physical football and we were able to get it going," Dragons coach Dave Schindler said.

That physical play led to just three pass attempts by the Clintondale offense, with one completion. Lincoln (1-1, 0-1 MAC Bronze) completed its only pass attempt.

"We played them tough early, but they were able to put some drives together and we hung our heads," Abes coach Mike Bainbridge said. "We've got to learn to play through that."

Lincoln actually won the second half, 18-16. Junior running back Janell Poydras found the end zone twice in the second half — once on a 1-yard run and again on an 85-yard kickoff return that gave the Abes their first points of the game with 1:39 left in the third.

"That's what you wanna see from your team when it gets down. You want to see them fight," Bainbridge said. "This was a learning experience, and they fought for the entire game."

Smith led the Dragons with two rushing touchdowns and the pick 6. Treyvon Barksdale (a 23-yard fumble recovery for a score) and Gibson (a 79-yard scamper) also found the end zone for the Dragons.

"We're just going to keep working every day and trying to get better," said Schindler, whose team has put up 42.5 points per game in each of its first two matchups.

Lincoln quarterback Darius Totty also scored on a 61-yard run.

Clintondale recorded 13 tackles for loss; Lincoln notched 10.

The Dragons were flagged for 12 penalties, as opposed to the Abes' six.

Clintondale next faces Center Line at 7 p.m. Sept. 7 at Clintondale. Lincoln's next contest is a road tilt at Mount Clemens, set for 7 p.m. Sept. 7.

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Jason Carmel Davis at jdavis@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1107. Follow Jason Carmel on Twitter.