SMQ: Clinton too strong for Irish, 29-14...

By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com

So who is the real Bishop McGuinness team? The one that played a memorable shootout against a great Millwood team? Or a team that looked lifeless from the second quarter on and got overpowered by Clinton?

I don’t know. But through four weeks of the season, I didn’t think I would have as many questions about the Irish as I do right now.

Clinton 29, Bishop McGuinness 14

The first quarter had me thinking we were going to have a fun one. Both teams had 13-play drives that ended in touchdowns and took nearly the entire first quarter.

It was fun watching great backs like Saul Pina and Jalee Rainge of Clinton and LaRone Richardson of the Irish for four quarters.

But this game was turned around by the play of a ‘big ugly’ James Twins. Listed at 6-4 and 285 pounds, Twins dominated the line of scrimmage from the second quarter until the end of the game. Got in the backfield and stopped Richardson. Batted down passes from Camden Tharp.

Clinton had two big plays that stole all momentum from the Irish. Pina had an 84-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the final play of the first quarter. Then Rainge iced the game with a 90-yard run down the sideline in the fourth quarter.

Rainge also had a pretty big interception in the first half that turned a 13-7 game into a 19-7 game and had McGuinness playing catch up the rest of the way.