Eagles take on Clinton in playoff clash

Junior Shaq Kelso will help anchor the Shelbyville Central line in the opening round of the TSSAA playoffs tonight at Clinton. (T-G Photo by Gary Johnson) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

The Golden Eagles advanced to the TSSAA Class 5A playoffs after gaining a wild card berth last weekend.

Shelbyville (5-5) hits the road to face powerhouse Clinton (9-0) in first-round action tonight at 6 CST.

Clinton is currently ranked second in Class 5A and is the No. 2 seed while the Eagles are the No. 8 seed in their quadrant of the bracket.

"We're really excited about this opportunity and we feel there are lot of positives to making the playoffs," Shelbyville coach Jason Hardy said. "Everybody's record is now even and everybody has the same chance to win. We know we have a very tough task in front of us, but we've prepared hard, worked hard and we'll see what happens.

"There are a number of other positives that a lot of people don't realize as well. You get at least another week of practice for your younger guys and the experience of playing in the playoffs is an opportunity that a lot of athletes never get to experience."

The Shelbyville coaching staff worked long and hard last weekend getting information about Clinton and putting together a game plan as well as putting together all the travel plans.

The Eagles were scheduled to leave this morning at 10 on a chartered bus. They will stop at a rest area on the way to stretch and walk around and plan on having a pre-game meal in Oak Ridge before completing the trip to Clinton Middle School where the game will be played.

"This was a little tougher than one might expect in the first round," Hardy said. "Usually you play a team that's a little closer and it's easier to get film and scouting reports. Clinton is so far away we don't have as many connections as we might have around here but we had some success in getting some information. This was almost like preparing for a playoff game that occurs in the later rounds with the distance between the two schools being so far. It's really been a challenge for our staff."

Shelbyville's game at Clinton is one of the longest first round road trips in the state in any bracket or classification.

To say that Hardy is impressed with the Dragons is a huge understatement.

Clinton is an extremely talented and well-coached football team in all three phases of the game that returns nine starters on both sides of the ball. They average 34.5 points per game on offense and the defense allows only 15.7 point per game.

"They have two or three kids that are above average and are very good football players but what makes them such a good team is they outwork their opponents with average football players that play above their potential," Hardy said. "Add that with a very talented quarterback, running back and linebacker and that's why they are a successful football team."

Senior quarterback in Darian Stone leads Clinton's spread offense that's accumulated 2,240 yards on the ground and 1,507 in the air.

In comparison, Shelbyville has gained 1,549 yards rushing and 845 passing.

The Dragons also feature a very talented running back in Weston Hazelhurst. The senior has rushed for 1,309 yards and 17 touchdowns on 156 carries. He recently suffered a sprained knee and is still questionable for tonight's game.

Clinton's defense is just as impressive, allowing only 805 yards on the ground and 1,109 in the air.

The Eagle defense has given up 2,036 rushing and 879 passing.

On defense, the Dragons apply a lot of pressure on the opponent's quarterback and like to force turnovers. They have recorded 38 quarterback sacks, recovered six fumbles and intercepted six passes.

In addition, the Dragons have blocked two field goals.

Hazelhurst is Clinton's leading defensive player with 68 tackles.

"We're going to concentrate on us and attempt to do what we do best," Hardy said. "With that being said, I feel like we're in an underdog role and we have the luxury to try some things and take a few more chances that usual. I kind of like being in that role. The pressure is off of us and there's always more pressure on the higher seed. We're going to try to throw some wrinkles at them and hopefully they will play off."

The Dragons originally won 10 games during the regular season and were 8-0 in the district, but the TSSAA vacated its season opening win over Knoxville Halls after discovering a player was determined to be ineligible. That player was a member of the 2008-09 basketball team and the 2009 Clinton football team. The TSSAA ruled the player had violated terms of his hardship eligibility by staying with someone other that his father in Clinton. His participation forced Clinton to vacate all wins that basketball season and the opening football win in which he played.

If you can't travel to the game, you can always listen live on WLIJ Radio (AM 1580), which is streamed live on ShelbyvilleSports.com.