MONTGOMERY – Clarke County High School senior quarterback Javon Ivory rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries and completed 5-of-8 passes for 76 yards and another TD to lead the Bulldogs to a 20-14 victory over Sweet Water in the AHSAA’s 2018 Champions Challenge Classic football opener at Cramton Bowl.
     The game officially opened the season for AHSAA schools and was also the first game to utilize the DVSport Instant Replay system which is being used by a number AHSAA schools this  season.
     Instant Replay will be used for Friday’s final game of the Champions Challenge between Class 7A teams  Thompson and James Clemens. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from Cramton Bowl with Raycom Media televising the game live over its statewide network. The AHSAA’s NFHS Network School Broadcast Program is also live-video streaming the game over the NFHS Network thanks to the Cramton Bowl Pixellot camera and the talented announcing team of the AHSAA Radio Network. The  network is broadcasting the game over its statewide network and the internet as well. The links can be found at www.ahsaa.com.
     Clarke County opened the scoring with 8:20 remaining in the first quarter when receiver Caleb Taite scored on an 18-yard pass from Ivory, who one play earlier scored on a keeper around right end on a play that was called back for a penalty.
        Sweet Water marched 69 yards on 14 plays and used most of the rest of the time in the first quarter to take the lead. Quarterback Braiden Broussard found his older brother, tight end Chance Broussard, for a 6-yard touchdown toss and Jacory Brown’s extra-point kick gave Sweet Water the lead 7-6 with 1:18 seconds left in the period.
    Clarke County’s Ivory erased that lead two plays later racing 73 yards around the right side, shook loss and legged into the end zone to give Coach Stacy Luker’s team  12-7 lead with 12 seconds remaining in first quarter.
   Ivory directed a Clarke County on a 54-yard drive in the third quarter that culminated in a 1-yard sneak by the senior quarterback and increased the lead to 18-7. The play was challenged by Sweet Water Coach Pat Thompson, the first replay opportunity of the night for the AHSAA’s new replay rule. However, after reviewing the call on the TV monitor on the sideline, the touchdown call was confirmed. The two-point extra-point play that followed gave Clarke County a 20-7 lead.
    Sweet Water drove 90 yards in just six plays midway through the fourth period with Jaylin Dixon scoring on a 29-yard run. Jacory Brown’s kick closed the gap to 20-14. The Bulldogs of Coach Pat Thompson mounted one final drive, moving from their own 18 to midfield before turning the ball on fourth down with a fumble.
    Dixon was the game’s leading rusher with 86 yards on eight carries. Jacory Brown added 52 yards on 14 tries. Taite had 10 tackles on defense for Clarke County while Tyler Ward and Willie Lewis had seven stops each for Sweet Water. Braylone Rogers also had the game’s only interception.
    Sweet Water finished with 207 yards, 201 rushing and six passing, and had 14 first downs. Clarke County has 11 first downs and 239 total yards – 163 rushing and 76 passing.
    The victory for Luker came against his own alma mater and a program that he coached to five state titles in a seven-year period. He is now in his second year as head coach at Clarke County, where he led the team to the Class 3A semifinals in 2017. The school moved to Class 4A this season.
   Sweet Water, coached by Pat Thompson, won the Class 1A title last season. It was the 10thi state championship in school history. Thompson was defensive coordinator before taking over the program after Luker’s departure in 2014.