Clarke Central upsets No. 2 SW Dekalb, 19-17

By Jason Butt
sports@onlineathens.com

DECATUR -- For Clarke Central 's Derrick Smalls, it must have seemed like an eternity as the ball floated his way.

But in the split second of actual time that elapsed, only one thing crossed his mind.

"I wanted to score and win the game," Smalls said.

And that he did as the Gladiators upset No. 2 Southwest DeKalb 19-17 in the second round of the Class AAAA state playoffs.

With Clarke Central (10-2) leading by just two points with little more than 40 seconds left to play, the senior defensive back intercepted a deflected pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown, putting the Gladiators up 19-10 with 36 seconds remaining.

"We just had to play hard and give it all we got," said Smalls, who had to catch his breath time and time again after celebrating with his teammates.

Southwest DeKalb (10-2) wasn't through, though, as defensive back Jonathon Mincy returned the ensuing kickoff 81 yards to the Clarke Central 18-yard line. Mincy would have scored if not for kicker Adam Erickson, who forced him out of bounds.

The Panthers would score in two plays with quarterback Steven Coates throwing a touchdown to tight end William Goodwin, cutting the Gladiators' lead to two points. But Southwest DeKalb's onside kick attempt didn't travel 10 yards, and all Clarke Central quarterback Martay Mattox had to do was take a knee to seal the win.

"We came in as the underdog, just like last week, but we overcame it," said Mattox, whose team will next face North Clayton, which defeated Brunswick 21-12 on Friday. "We're going to keep at it. We've got work to do and we've got to get to the (Georgia) Dome."

Mattox finished the game 6-for-12 passing for 81 yards and added 55 more yards on the ground.

There was no bigger offensive play than Mattox's 29-yard touchdown pass to Dimitri Holmes in the second quarter, which put the Gladiators up 12-0. After Clarke Central 's defense forced Southwest DeKalb's punt unit onto the field on a fourth-and-8, the Gladiators gang tackled Panthers punter Darryl Jennings after he mishandled the snap.

On the next play, Mattox threw in Holmes' direction -- and he made a leaping grab for the touchdown.

But Holmes, who's just 5-foot-10, wasn't jumping over the average high school cornerback. Holmes had to go up and grab it over Mincy, Southwest DeKalb's star cornerback who has committed to play at Auburn.

"That's who I want to go against, their best guy," Holmes said. "We talked some trash and I told him I got him in the long run. I got him looking away and I went up and got the ball."

Said Clarke Central coach Leroy Ryals: "I told my guys, if you want to go to the big schools -- Tennessee, Georgia, Auburn -- you have to make plays against the kids that are going there. I think (Southwest DeKalb) has about five guys that are going to Division-I schools."

The Panthers finally got on the scoreboard with an 11-yard run from Georgia running back commit Ken Malcome, which cut Clarke Central 's lead to 12-7. After pushing through the Gladiators' front four, Malcome forced his way close to the goal line before rolling into the end zone over a couple of fallen defenders.

Malcome finished the game with 74 yards on eight carries, but didn'tplay in the second half. It was uncertain whether he re-aggravated his shoulder or ankle, both of which were injured coming into the game.

"t was a big impact," Smalls said of Malcome's absence in the second half.

After the game, the Gladiators celebrated on the Panthersville Stadium field, seemingly as long as they could. Holmes said this victory, a road win over the state's second-ranked team, ranks as one of the best he's had in his four-year career.

"It feels great," Holmes said. "We came in and we did what we were supposed to do. We knocked off the second-best team in the state at their place."