CLARKSVILLE — Every team looks to notch a win on Homecoming Night. The Clarksville Generals achieved complete domination to celebrate for theirs, downing the Salem Lions 28-0 on Friday.

“Our defense flew all over the field for four quarters and we got a shutout,” Generals head coach Steve Cooley said. “Our defense played well.”

Following a combined four stalled series between the teams, Clarksville (2-3, 2-2 Mid-Southern Conference) opened up the scoring for the evening late in the opening frame. A two-minute drive capped by a 35-yard run from Marquise Parrish and a good PAT kick from Jake Matthews put the Generals up 7-0 with 2:30 to go in the first quarter.

The Generals capitalized on yet another failed Salem (2-3, 2-2) possession, taking control on their 27 to open the second quarter.

The drive got a shot in the arm when Generals quarterback Aidan McEwan connected with Andrew Wright for 30 yards. The play got a bonus five yards on a facemask penalty, spotting the Generals on the Salem 44. The long pass set the Generals up to continue the 73-yard scoring drive, ending with a seven-yard scamper from Alex Clark. Another successful PAT kick from Matthews gave Clarksville a 14-0 lead with 8:21 left in the second quarter.

In a deep hole, the Lions looked to get on the board with just over eight minutes left in the opening half.  The series found them deep in Clarksville territory until Salem quarterback Jordan McNeely connected with the Generals’ Brandon Hardin on the his 17 with 6:35 remaining in the second quarter.

The Generals needed 150 seconds to widen their lead. An 83-yard drive ended with an 18-yard lob from McEwan to Nick Jones with 4:06 left in the second quarter, giving Clarksville a 20-0 lead.

The struggling Lion offense maintained possession for 57 seconds before Klayton Dougherty was intercepted by McEwan, helping his cause on the defensive side of the ball.

On the offensive side of the ball, McEwan led the Generals back to the end zone, capping the drive with a three-yard pass to Hardin with 9.8 seconds left in the second quarter for a 26-0 Generals lead.

The Lions opened up the second half with a kick not intended to be an onside kick but was recovered by Salem’s Austin Jerrell on the Generals’ 37. The first play of the series, a run by quarterback McNeely, ended with McNeely getting the ball striped away by Parrish. Parrish got the ball back to the Salem 45. The Generals kept the drive alive until the Lions got a defensive stop on the two yard line with 8:00 left in the third quarter.

The Salem drive struggled to move away from their end zone, forcing a punt. A delay of game penalty forced the punt further back, placing Dougherty deep in his own end zone for the punt attempt. The snap for the punt sailed high above his head and out of the back of the end zone, giving Clarksville a safety giving the Generals a 28-0 lead it would not relinquish.

The Clarksville offense posted 471 total yards to Salem’s 141, dominating both the pass and run game.

“Aidan was making things go with our pass game,” Cooley said.

Clarksville takes their show on the road next week, heading to 1-4 Silver Creek, which fell to rival Charlestown 70-13 on Friday.

    

BOX SCORE

CLARKSVILLE 28, SALEM 0

Salem            0   0 0 0—  0

Clarksville    7 19 2 0—28

First Quarter

    C — Marquise Parrish 35 run (Jake Matthews kick good)

Second Quarter

    C — Alex Clark 7 run (Matthews kick good)

    C — Nick Jones 18 pass from Aidan McEwan (Matthews kick wide right)

    C — Nick Hardin 3 pass from McEwan (Matthews kick wide right)

Third Quarter

    C — Safety

Statistics

Rushing

    Clarksville (241 yds): Christian Brown 23-121; Salem (65yds): Jordan McNeely 3-25

Passing

    Clarksville (17-27-230): McEwen 17-27-230; Salem (9-24-76 yds): 9-24-76.