Published: November 19, 2009 11:02 pm      

Stakes are high tonight for Clinton Central gridders

Bulldogs take on undefeated Mustangs for berth in state finals

Clinton Central’s football team is ready for its first shot at a semistate championship.

The first-time regional champion hosts No. 3-ranked Fountain Central in the Class A southern semistate game at 7 o’clock tonight. A spot in the state finals goes to the winner.

“The community is really excited,” said second-year CC coach Mike Quick, whose squad brings a 9-4 record into tonight’s game.

Fountain Central (13-0) is a formidable opponent. The Mustangs average 43 points per game and allow just 8 ppg. They’ve matched or bettered that defensive average throughout their tournament run.

“They’re a heck of a team — very well-coached,” Quick said. “They’ve controlled most of their opponents defensively. They have a lot of speed on defense. It’s maybe one of the better overall defenses we’ve faced.

“They run a spread option [offense] and they run and throw well,” he added. “They’re definitely deserving of playing in this semistate and being 13-0. It’s going to be a huge test for us in every phase.”

Fountain Central is no stranger to success, having won the 1983 Class A state championship in coach Rick Malone’s first stint with the program. He returned to the Mustangs’ sideline in 2008.

“Last year, we were 3-7,” Malone said. “We only had three seniors so our kids gained a lot of experience. We have a very good senior class. To them, 3-7 just wasn’t acceptable and they wanted to do whatever it took to get Fountain Central back to where it used to be. We had 40 kids in the weight room all spring and all summer — for a 1A school, that’s a lot of kids. The seniors led by example.

“We came into camp this summer and everybody was ready to go.”

Fountain Central whipped a good Southmont team 41-13 in Week 1 to set the tone for its first undefeated regular season since 1996. The Mustangs have followed with their deepest postseason run since the ’83 state championship season.

Malone gives a lot of credit to his assistant coaches. He has three former head coaches on staff including Brian Moore, who led Seeger to the 2004 Class A state title and is now the Mustangs’ defensive coordinator and athletic director, and Brad Smith, an Indiana Hall of Fame member who assists Malone on offense.

“I can’t say enough about my coaching staff and the way they prepare our kids,” Malone said.

Quarterback Scott Moore triggers the Mustangs’ spread option offense. He has passed for 1,624 yards and 17 touchdowns on 80-of-134 accuracy, and he has run for 732 yards and nine touchdowns on 97 attempts.

Trent Spear leads the ground game with 1,223 yards and 22 TDs on 137 carries. Sam Shoaf follows with 734 yards and eight scores on 98 carries. Zach Robertson is the team’s top receiver — he has 30 receptions for 769 yards and nine TDs.

Clinton Central is playing well in the postseason, having outscored its four opponents by a combined margin of 149-26. The Bulldogs blanked Indianapolis Lutheran 14-0 in a regional championship game last week.

“They’ve played very well,” Malone said. “They’re very good defensively. Coach Quick does a great job preparing them and their kids just fly to the ball and they tackle well. They play good coverage too. They’re just very sound defensively.

“Offensively, they run the wing-T and they run it very well. Last week, we played Linton and they ran the wing-T similar to what [Kokomo coach Brett] Colby runs. Clinton Central spreads you out, so we’re going from one extreme to the other.”

FC beat Linton-Stockton 21-7, holding the Miners well below their normal offensive production.

The Bulldogs’ backfield includes halfbacks Cody Cannaday and Jordan Woodard and fullback David Griffy. They have combined for 3,086 yards and 44 touchdowns on the ground.

The Bulldogs’ defense is led by linebackers Brody Quick (124 tackles) and Griffy (117 tackles, five interceptions).

“We played a doggone good all-around defensive game last week,” Mike Quick said.

• No. 1 Lafayette Central Catholic (13-0) and No. 8 Southern Wells (11-2) play in the Class A northern semistate tonight. The state championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium is scheduled next Friday at 3:30 p.m.



Football semistate games:

All games tonight unless otherwise noted

Class 5A

Carmel (12-1) at Merrillville (12-1)

Center Grove (10-3) at Warren Central (11-2)

Class 4A

F.W. Bishop Dwenger (13-0) at Lowell (12-1), Saturday

Cathedral (12-1) at Evansville Reitz (13-0)

Class 3A

Jimtown (12-1) at West Lafayette (13-0)

Ev. Memorial (10-3) at Bishop Chatard (12-1), Saturday

Class 2A

Rensselaer (11-2) at F.W. Bishop Luers (8-5)

Paoli (13-0) at Monrovia (13-0)

Class A

Lafayette Catholic (13-0) at Southern Wells (11-2)

Fountain Central (13-0) at Clinton Central (9-4)