CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Clarksville Academy was back in action Friday night after forfeiting its previous two matchups. The struggles continued as the Cougars fell 52-6 to Ezell-Harding.
The Cougars had forfeited three of their six games heading into Friday’s matchup with the Eagles and had yet to score a point in the games they played. Things wouldn’t get any easier as head coach Rob Rininger had just 14 players available.
“I’m not a fan of moral victories, but this was a victory for our guys. Getting on the board, they played hard. We ended the game with 11 guys healthy. I’m proud of them. 52-6 is not where we want to be, but we’re moving in the right direction,” Rininger told Clarksville Now.
Beyond the lack of bodies on Friday night, Rininger’s squad has also struggled to prepare for games because of its numbers. Without enough players to work both sides of the ball, the Cougars are unable to practice against a scout offense or defense. It has become another disadvantage during an already turbulent season.
“We struggled in practice because with our numbers, we’re not able to do any kind of scout offense or scout defense. Over the two weeks where we didn’t have games, we tried to keep everything the same,” Rininger said. “We just try to keep doing what we’re doing and keep improving our basic fundamentals.”
Ezell-Harding was the bigger and better team, but there were still some positives for the Cougars. One came late in the fourth quarter when Clarksville Academy scored its first points of the season on a Jayden Wyatt quarterback run with just over five minutes remaining.
The touchdown didn’t change the outcome, cutting the deficit to 40 points, but it gave the Cougars something to celebrate after a difficult stretch.
Now, the biggest question moving forward is whether Clarksville Academy will have enough healthy players to continue the season. Friday’s matchup was especially important for the Cougars as it was their homecoming game. Leaving the night with more injuries and just 11 healthy players leaves the program facing another difficult decision.
Clarksville Academy is scheduled to return to action Thursday, Oct. 8, against Donaldson Christian Academy, but that game will depend on the Cougars having enough healthy players available.
“We’ve got to take it one week at a time and see what our healthy kids are looking like. Right now, if we had to play tomorrow, we wouldn’t be able to do it,” Rininger said. “We’re going to get our trainer to assess them and see where we sit. We’ll have to look and see where we’re at on Monday for that. It’s really a week-to-week thing with us.”
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