Clintwood Pounds Thomas Walker in Region D, Division 1

CLINTWOOD, Va. – Clintwood sophomore Austin Dotson was eager to make a statement Saturday at Ralph Cummins Stadium. It was all about a rich tradition.

“There aren’t many things in Virginia like Lonesome Pine District football,” said Dotson, whose helmet featured an “LPD Pride” sticker. “We play hard-nosed and physical, and we take pride in that approach. Every team in the LPD plays the same.”

Clintwood added to the pride factor Saturday, as the Greenwave pounded Cumberland District champion Thomas Walker, 62-22, in the Region D, Division 1 playoffs. Clintwood (9-2) faces LPD rival J.I. Burton (9-2) for the regional title next Saturday at Virginia-Wise.

Relying on a deep cast of running backs and an experienced group of lineman, the Greenwave opened a 42-14 halftime margin against TW and compiled a total of 374 yards rushing.

The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Dotson set a torrid pace, bouncing off defenders for two scores in the first quarter and delivering solid lead blocks.

“A lot of teams from other districts don’t really know what the LPD is all about,” said Dotson, also a standout linebacker. “We like to come out and hit up on teams early. They don’t like that.”

Six-foot senior Justin Reed contributed 84 yards rushing for Clintwood, while 6-foot junior Mancel Powers and 5-7 freshman Gavin Meade also topped the 70-yard mark. Junior
Cameron Vanover was among the primary blockers.

Clintwood coach Rick Mullins was delighted with the crisp all-around performance.

“We had a week off before this game and it came at a really good time,” Mullins said. “We got some players healthy, and I think we had a little bit of swagger back today. We were flying around the ball and having fun.

“We will get a little better for next week, and hopefully we will have something for [Burton].”

Thomas Walker (6-5) won its second straight Cumberland District title behind a diverse spread offense fronted by 6-foot junior quarterback Ryan Scott and 6-4, 280-pound tackle Will
Thomas. Scott, who has the freedom to change plays at the line of scrimmage, displayed his talent on just the third play of the game as he connected with sophomore Jared Brewer for an 85-yard scoring pass.

“We tried to come back to that pass again, but it didn’t work as well,” Thomas Walker coach Brian Lee said.

The depth and size of Clintwood gradually took over.

“Clintwood threw numbers at us, and we couldn’t compete with that,” Lee said. “I thought we hung with Clintwood stroke-for-stroke at the beginning. I don’t care what the final score was; we stood in there and hit with them. That’s all I can ask.”

Scott finished with 189 yards passing and also ran for two scores. Lee hopes that performance was just a preview of next season. He plans to take his team to the University of
Michigan this spring in an effort to refine his wide-open “Gator” offensive alignment, which was installed this past fall.

Former TW athletic standout Tim Johnson is the first-year offensive coordinator for the Pioneers.

“I love this offense, and we’re just now starting to tinker with it,” Lee said. “We’re going to get better.”

TW managed just 37 yards rushing against the aggressive Clintwood defense, with 205-pound fullback Cody Williams collecting 22 yards on seven carries. Senior Corey Yeary intercepted two passes for the Pioneers.

Six-foot junior Trey Meade led the balanced Clintwood offense, rushing for 93 yards on five carries. Meade was involved in four touchdowns as a passer, runner and receiver.

“We were wanting to prove a point that we can come out and play some ball,” Meade said. “I think we made that point.”

Meade said it will take another team effort to reverse a regular season loss to J.I. Burton.

“We’ve got to play sound,” Meade said. “We made a lot of mistakes in that first game. I take a lot of the blame for that and I want to correct those mistakes.”

Mullins admitted that his team gains motivation in representing the Lonesome Pine District.

“Our guys do take a lot of pride in being from the LPD,” Mullins said. “This is a pretty darn tough conference. If you again advance out of the LPD, you’re doing something.

“We’ve kind of had to grind some things out this year, but we’ve got several good young players and we feel pretty good about the way things are coming together.”

The Clintwood seniors have compiled a record of 21-3 at home over the past four seasons. The Greenwave has appeared in the past two state Division 1 state title games. Franklin, which defeated Clintwood for the state championship last year, lost 27-24 to West Point Friday.

“We lost a lot of people from last year, but we’ve pretty much reloaded,” Dotson said.