Chargers Survive Red Tornadoes, Improve to 4-0

Friday night in west Oklahoma featured two of Oklahoma high school football's most prestigious programs of this decade. The history between Heritage Hall and Clinton is second to none, but some worried the game could get out of hand early due to the Chargers hot start to the season. Instead, fans got one of the most exciting games the Hall has played in a long time.

Clinton underwent a huge change to their offensive scheme over the offseason, converting to the rarely seen flexbone offense. Teams like Georgia Tech and Navy running this offense in the college ranks with considerable success. To run this offense, though, a team must have a quarterback who makes flawless decisions, and possesses speed on the outside.

The Tornadoes and quarterback Conor Wyer showed the Hall that they could execute the flexbone, wasting no time punching the ball into the endzone twice in the first quarter for a 14-0 lead.

The Chargers came storming back though, as Blake Adams connected with Conner Carey for a 22-yard score to cut the deficit to 7-points.

The Red Tornado offense remained tough for the Chargers to defend, as the home squad opened the second quarter on an impressive drive capped by a 43-yard field goal.

Senior running back Morgan Dinwiddie answered the Clinton score with a 2-yard TD of his own. The Chargers appeared to have swung the momentum back in the favor with just a couple of minutes left in the half.

However, with their lead trimmed to three, the Red Tornadoes continued their offensive success with a 14-yard scurry to the end zone courtesy of wingback Jose Hernandez. Entering the break, the Chargers had their work cut out for them, trailing 24-14.

The third quarter was dominated by the defensive side of the ball, as Heritage Hall adjusted well to the option attack of Clinton. Though the offense couldn't get anything working in the third, they realized they needed to capitalize in the fourth quarter, since the Charger defense was playing its heart out.

The Chargers did exactly that in the fourth quarter, as running backs Billy Ross, Jr., and Morgan Dinwiddie took short runs to the house to give the Chargers the fourth quarter edge. Dinwiddie's go-ahead touchdown came with about 4 minutes on the game clock.

The Charger defense forced Clinton into a 4th and 13 with around 2 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Even though the Red Tornadoes trailed the Chargers by 4 points, Clinton decided to punt the football back to the Chargers and trust their defense to get a stop.

The Chargers proved the Red Tornadoes bold decision to be the wrong one, as Ross picked up a first down with three tough runs to ice the ball game. Though not the prettiest game, the Chargers did enough to escape west Oklahoma with a 28-24 victory.

Adams had his least efficient game of the season, finishing 17 of 34 passing for 211 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Ross continued torching opposing defenses on the ground, generating 131 yards on 22 carries to go along with one score. Dinwiddie maintained his presence as the power back, scoring two hard fought touchdowns.

On defense, Grayson Wilson led the charge with 11 tackles. Garrett McGinnis tallied 9 takedowns and Colton Denney made several key tackles among his 7 on the evening. Freshman Melvin Swindle played inspired down the stretch getting pressure on Wyer with 2 sacks and 8 tackles in his first defensive start.

Playing against a new offense is always a tough thing to do, especially in a hostile environment like at the Tornado Bowl. The Chargers, however, showed amazing resilience as they responded well every time Clinton gained momentum.

Next Friday is homecoming week, as the Chargers welcome district rival Weatherford into town. This has the making for an exciting affair, as the undefeated Eagles (4-0) are looking for revenge after the Chargers embarrassed them on their home field last season.

Article by Rives Mitchell '19
Photos by Jake Steelman '19

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