Clinton, fueled by junior running back tandem, defeats rival Elk City

Zaedon Collins, Kyn’Tavion Hill help pace Red Tornadoes in win

CLINTON, OKLAHOMA - There’s a rich tradition at Clinton High School when it comes to the running back position, and Zaedon Collins and Kyn’Tavion Hill continues to show why they are the newest additions to that historic group. 

The two juniors toted the rock into the teeth of Elk City’s defense Friday night and kept on ticking. The thunder (Collins) and lightning (Hill) duo combined for 26 carries for 161 yards and keyed Clinton (3-2 overall, 2-0 in District 4A-1) in a 21-7 revenge win over the Elks (2-3, 0-1).

That performance by the two backs’ rise behind an improved offensive line flipped the script for the Red Tornadoes against their Interstate 40 neighbor.

This time last season, Clinton was struggling to replace three 1,000-yard rushers off their 2021 4A state championship team. The Reds’ identity was found in senior fullback Trey Bennett, who was pounding defenses inside, but they still hadn’t settled on a lead running back.

Collins and Hill were talented but inexperienced sophomores at the time, and it took some in-game reps for them to grow. It led to a rough start during 2022 district play, where the Reds lost to Elk City and Weatherford before rebounding late.

There hasn’t been a repeat of that situation this season. CHS head coach John Higbee remarked they had to rely too much on one back in 2022, but this season’s backfield is much deeper.

“When you’re an I-formation team and you’re running your fullback all the time, that might not be a great thing,” Higbee said after Friday’s win. “We’ve got two different guys that rotate in at fullback and three different guys that rotate in at tailback.

"Up front, we’re getting better. And of course, they’re seeing a new defense daily. I think we’ve seen just about every defense you can have.”

Elk City never allowed the big play to break loose for either back; however they earned their yards with grit and toughness. One specific drive really spotlighted their impact.

Clinton trailed Elk City, 7-6, with 4:06 left in the third quarter. The Reds needed an offensive spark, and even though their run game had been bottled up much of the night, they knew where to go.

Hill took a handoff up the middle, gashed the defense and powered through a defender for a gain of 9 yards. Hill then took a second consecutive handoff and showed he wasn’t afraid to be the physical back, spinning off a tackler and rolling up the field for a 10-yard gain and a first down to the EC 35.

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Collins spelled him wonderfully on the next play. He ran through one defender with ease, then carried another on his back for a few yards. It looked like he would go down there but in a move that would make Larry Csonka proud, he threw the defender off his back like a flea and rolled on for a gain of 24 yards and a first down to the EC 11.

The defender attempted to pull him down by his back, and Collins’ body was barely a foot off the ground, but he somehow maintained his balance and kept chugging.

“You’ve got to fight,” Collins said about the run. “We pound, pound, pound, pound and score - that’s what we do.”

Collins set up the eventual TD run, a QB sneak from Cooper Sulley, with another run for a gain of 9 that put CHS on the EC 2-yard line. The Reds took their lead and never flinched again.

Clinton scored 15 unanswered points and Collins, Hill, Sulley and sophomore Darren Hester salted away the win late. Although Hill typically takes the outside sweep carries, he proved his physicality as an inside runner Friday.

“They were playing too much outside,” Hill said about Elk’s defensive attack. “We had to run up the middle. They can’t play us outside like that.”

CHS rallied back after taking a 6-0 halftime lead in a game that started off in a defensive dogfight. Sulley connected with Hester on a post pattern for a 25-yard score to give Clinton a 6-0, first-quarter lead, with the extra point being missed.

That score held until about 8:30 left in the third quarter.

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The Elks capitalized on an onside kick to open the second half. They recovered it at the CHS 49 and quickly rolled into the red zone on a Tucker Garza 35-yard run. A few plays later, Catch Geno ran for a 4-yard TD out of the wildcat to give EC a 7-6 advantage.

Sulley and the Reds answered with the aforementioned QB sneak to gain the lead back. Finally, a tip-drill pick by Clinton’s Race Elliott on the ensuing Elk City drive set up the game-clinching drive.

The Reds picked up where they left off with Hill and Collins driving the offense. Again, Sulley finished it off with a QB sneak TD to essentially put the game out of reach early in the fourth.

Clinton heads to Weatherford (4-2, 2-0) next week to complete its I-40 battles in the Custer County Conflict, while Elk City hosts Cache (3-2, 1-0).

-- Collin Wieder | @SBLiveOK