Lumen football season comes to a close in 49-20 loss to Clinton in D-6 regional final
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Clinton – In the days leading up to his team’s Division 6 regional final, Herb Brogan said his guys hadn’t faced a team like Clinton High all year.
His defense certainly hadn’t seen a backfield duo like Matt Sexton and Noah Poore.
And it’ll be just fine if it never does again.
Sexton and Poore combined for 361 yards on the ground, alone, as Clinton rolled to a 49-20 victory Friday night at home, ending Lumen Christi’s season two wins shy of Ford Field.
“We saw a lot of good backs this year, but these guys could play with anybody,” Brogan said simply afterwards.
Lumen took its opening drive right down the field, only to stall out and turn the ball over on downs at the 25-yard line.
On Clinton’s first offensive play, Poore sprinted 75 yards for the opening score and a 6-0 lead after a failed conversion attempt.
But the Titans roared right back, capping another long drive with a 43-yard run from Bo Bell to tie the game at 6-6 after a missed extra point.
But on the ensuing kickoff, Poore went 75 more yards for a score and 13-6 lead.
After the first quarter, Clinton had run one offensive play, possessed the ball for roughly 10 seconds, but held a six-point lead.
“The first play of the game. Then kick return. Then last play of the half,” Brogan said of the quick strikes Clinton had. “We gave them some huge plays at some inopportune time.”
Lumen actually tied the game on a 19-yard run by Josh Marsh just seconds into the second quarter, but Clinton took over from there.
Sexton scored on a 26-yard run on the ensuing drive, and then stole all momentum with a 38-yard touchdown run with just 10 seconds remaining in the first half for a 28-13 stranglehold.
Poore added a 4-yard touchdown run in third for a 35-13 lead, and even when Lumen got a 1-yard run from Liam Daly and then recovered an onside kick, Clinton’s defense stepped up to take the ball right back on downs.
Sexton added two more touchdown runs of 80 and 57 yards in the fourth for a pair of exclamation points.
Sexton finished with 258 yards rushing on 18 carries and four scores.
Poore had 103 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns.
“We knew we had to tackle to be in the game,” Brogan said of slowing Sexton and Poore. “We didn’t do a very good job of that.”
Sexton and Poore also anchored a Clinton defense that never really let Lumen find its groove.
Daly completed 6-of-10 passes for 69 yards and was intercepted late in the game by Poore. Wyatt Plate had four catches for 45 yards, while Bell led the rushing attack with 81 yards on 15 carries.
Marsh added 72 yards on 17 carries, while Daly finished with 42 yards on 12 carries.
“It’s always hard to end a season,” Brogan said frankly. “A lot of blood, sweat and tears goes into this for this kids. To see it end is disappointing for everybody.”
The Titans close the season with an 8-4 mark, reaching the playoffs for the 18th consecutive season and in the regional round for the third time in five years.
“You’re playing in the regional, there’s only eight teams left,” Brogan said. “That’s an accomplishment. Nobody realizes it right now, because the sting of the loss hurts. But we got beat by some good teams this year. We beat some good teams. It’s just tough to end the season like this.”
Clinton (12-0) faces Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian (11-0) or Constantine (7-4) in next weekend’s state semifinal.
The Redskins are now 44-3 the past four seasons.
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’ Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.