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They say a canines bark is as vicious as it's bite. For Mike Quick and his Clinton Central Football team, this means the Bulldogs might have the loudest growl in Class A football.
As a team that has only allowed 13.2 points a game on defense, the Bulldogs (9-4) have stopped offenses to a halt on their way to the program's first Semi-State appearance on Friday night. But as often with new found success, the Bulldogs are a little anxious with each and every tournament game.
"We've tried to approach from game one with the same mindset," said Head Coach Mike Quick. "It gets a little harder when we get into tourney because the community gets on board brings excitement to high level."
"Last Friday against Lutheran in the first quarter we were nervous, a little jittery. We got the quarter break and after that we started to settle down a bit started playing better."
The jitters that Coach Quick talks about never showed on the defensive side of the ball in the Regional Championship game against Indianapolis Lutheran. With interceptions from Corbin Orr, Cody Cannaday, Todd Dunn, and David Griffy, the Bulldogs never let Lutheran past the 40 yard line. Even more impressive, the Bulldogs only allowed 152 total yards on the night.
Also Check Out: Jeremiah Johnson's Regional Championship Edition Of The Football Friday Rewind
""We it was a tremendous defensive performance," said Quick. "We held them in check all night. The two scores we had were set up on interceptions in Lutheran territory.
The two scores Quick talks about came from their Wing-T running formation, which saw Jordan Woodard breaking out a 19-yard rush to the end zone (84 yards overall), and Griffy capping his 74 yard night with a touchdown to make the final score 14-0.
"The backs have almost identical carries and yards," said Quick. "We're really balanced on offense. Selflessness gives us our best chance of winning."
Also Playing On Friday Night: Carmel Looks To Win Fourth Straight Semi-State
But despite the success in the running game, it all comes back to the defense for Clinton Central. Led by Blake Day, a potential all-state candidate with eight sacks and 16 tackles for a loss of yards, the defense is a multi-dimensional group that can hurt you in a number of ways.
"We got kids that will run down field and hit you. We got some big hitters in our secondary," said Quick.
"From a coaching perspective nothing irritating then watching the defense get manhandled, whether by the run our the pass. We really turned up the heat, upped the practice time on defense and it's really paid off in the playoffs."
However Clinton Central might be meeting it's defensive match on Friday night when they face off against Fountain Central. The Mustangs have only allowed 7.8 points per game on the season, and have not let up more than ten points in over eight weeks.
So if the Mustangs jump out to a quick lead, as they did in a 21-7 win over when wide receiver Zach Robertson was hit on a 43 yard touchdown pass and had a 43 yard touchdown run in the first quarter, they could give the Bulldogs a run for their money.
"They've got a really good defense. Early in the game will be a big key, we'll have to adjust to their physical play and speed," said Quick.
"If its close after that, I like our chances."
The two teams will face off at Clinton Central on Friday night at 7:00 p.m.
As a team that has only allowed 13.2 points a game on defense, the Bulldogs (9-4) have stopped offenses to a halt on their way to the program's first Semi-State appearance on Friday night. But as often with new found success, the Bulldogs are a little anxious with each and every tournament game.
"We've tried to approach from game one with the same mindset," said Head Coach Mike Quick. "It gets a little harder when we get into tourney because the community gets on board brings excitement to high level."
"Last Friday against Lutheran in the first quarter we were nervous, a little jittery. We got the quarter break and after that we started to settle down a bit started playing better."
The jitters that Coach Quick talks about never showed on the defensive side of the ball in the Regional Championship game against Indianapolis Lutheran. With interceptions from Corbin Orr, Cody Cannaday, Todd Dunn, and David Griffy, the Bulldogs never let Lutheran past the 40 yard line. Even more impressive, the Bulldogs only allowed 152 total yards on the night.
Also Check Out: Jeremiah Johnson's Regional Championship Edition Of The Football Friday Rewind
""We it was a tremendous defensive performance," said Quick. "We held them in check all night. The two scores we had were set up on interceptions in Lutheran territory.
The two scores Quick talks about came from their Wing-T running formation, which saw Jordan Woodard breaking out a 19-yard rush to the end zone (84 yards overall), and Griffy capping his 74 yard night with a touchdown to make the final score 14-0.
"The backs have almost identical carries and yards," said Quick. "We're really balanced on offense. Selflessness gives us our best chance of winning."
Also Playing On Friday Night: Carmel Looks To Win Fourth Straight Semi-State
But despite the success in the running game, it all comes back to the defense for Clinton Central. Led by Blake Day, a potential all-state candidate with eight sacks and 16 tackles for a loss of yards, the defense is a multi-dimensional group that can hurt you in a number of ways.
"We got kids that will run down field and hit you. We got some big hitters in our secondary," said Quick.
"From a coaching perspective nothing irritating then watching the defense get manhandled, whether by the run our the pass. We really turned up the heat, upped the practice time on defense and it's really paid off in the playoffs."
However Clinton Central might be meeting it's defensive match on Friday night when they face off against Fountain Central. The Mustangs have only allowed 7.8 points per game on the season, and have not let up more than ten points in over eight weeks.
So if the Mustangs jump out to a quick lead, as they did in a 21-7 win over when wide receiver Zach Robertson was hit on a 43 yard touchdown pass and had a 43 yard touchdown run in the first quarter, they could give the Bulldogs a run for their money.
"They've got a really good defense. Early in the game will be a big key, we'll have to adjust to their physical play and speed," said Quick.
"If its close after that, I like our chances."
The two teams will face off at Clinton Central on Friday night at 7:00 p.m.
