Clyde Bulldogs, Hawley Bearcats bring intensity, flashy plays at first scrimmage

CLYDE — Friday’s scrimmage between Hawley and Clyde means nothing in the long run: The outcome holds no weight on either team’s regular season record.

But the players on the opposing sidelines didn’t treat it like an exhibition.

Between methodical touchdown drives, accurate deep bombs and stops on 4th-and-short, the Bearcats and Bulldogs traded blow for blow and gave fans what they came to see: the return of high school football.

If not for the teams wearing practice uniforms and the absence of kickoffs, anyone watching likely would’ve assumed it was a regular-season contest.

The teams played only 10 minutes of timed action, which ended in a 7-7 tie.

With more than seven months since either team took the field, both coaches applauded their kids’ intensity throughout the night.

“I thought our effort was high,” Clyde head coach Danny Dudgeon said.

Hawley head coach Mitch Ables echoed that: “The effort was there and they know where they’re going.”

The only problem? Sometimes things got too intense.

Clyde and Hawley combined for more than a dozen penalties, ranging from false starts to holding and personal fouls.

“Those penalties can be drive killers and we have to clean that up,” Ables said. “We let emotions get to us a little bit and we can’t do that.”

Dudgeon said, “There were just too many.”

Because of the long duration between Friday’s scrimmage and each team’s last game, the high number of penalties was unsurprising. Even so, Dudgeon and Ables will look to patch that area up before the next time their teams play.

“There are several things you can do in practice to fix that, and we’ll be doing a lot of them,” Ables said.

Dudgeon said, “We can work on that and make sure they understand those things going forward.”

Impressive showings

Still, strong performances from both teams’ star players outshined the high volume of fouls.

For Clyde, junior quarterback Blake Carr excelled while leading the Bulldogs offense down the field. He threw an interception on Clyde’s second offensive series but didn’t get flustered. He continued to settle into the offensive rhythm, often finding checkdowns or using his legs to get a first down.

“After that, I really settled in and we were able to get rolling on offense and we were able to score,” Carr said. “We got a lot of confidence back after.”

During the timed session, Carr led a methodical series to the red zone before scoring a touchdown on a quarterback draw.

Carr started all 10 games for the Bulldogs in 2021 as a sophomore, and Dudgeon believes the young quarterback’s potential is limitless.

“He knows what we do in and out now,” Dudgeon said. “That’s a credit to him. He’s physically changed immensely, and the sky’s the limit for that kid.”

On the Bearcats’ side, it was running back Austin Cumpton’s first game-like setting since Nov. 26, when he sustained a season-ending back injury. Bulldog tacklers constantly had trouble wrapping up the senior, as he picked up dozens of yards after contact and helped keep the chains moving.

In addition to Cumpton’s strong production, Ables credited the blockers in front of him.

“He ran really well,” Ables said. “We have a really young offensive line this year, and some of those guys, this was their first varsity action. For those guys to give him lanes to run in, that’s huge for us.”

Hawley’s flashy passing game was also on display.

Senior quarterback Rodey Hooper constantly found main top targets — Chandlin Myers, Diontay Ramon, Kason O’Shields and Will Scott — for first downs. Arguably his most impressive throw came on Hawley’s second drive, when he placed a ball perfectly into Myers’ hands on a corner route for a touchdown.

“We have guys that have played a lot of snaps at running back, receiver and quarterback,” Ables said.  “We feel like we can make plays against pretty much anybody that we face. I really trust those guys to make plays for us.”

Looking ahead

Clyde’s next scrimmage will be Thursday at Dublin. The Bulldogs went 1-9 last year but have potential to take a sizable step forward in 2022.

After the team’s first game-like setting of the year, Dudgeon is confident his team can keep improving and be a force in Class 3A Division I.

“I’m very pleased with where we are,” the coach said. “I thought we played really well and we executed really well offensively. That’s a really good ball club that we played tonight, and if we can compete with people like that early, we’ll have a chance when it’s time to go.”

While Ables noted a handful of positives from the scrimmage, he described Hawley’s overall performance as “sloppy.”

In fairness, Ables — and the rest of Bearcats nation — has high expectations for the team.

Hawley reached the Class 2A Division I state title game in 2021, finishing 15-1. To get back to Arlington, Ables knows his team will have to play better and more disciplined than it did on Friday.

“We just have to play our game, play football, keep our heads down and keep drives together,” Ables said.

The Bearcats face Graham on the road for their second scrimmage Thursday.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Clyde, Hawley square off in football scrimmage