CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The 8-0 Clarksville Wildcats traveled to Rossview High School on Friday to face the 7-1 Hawks for the Warfield Shield game, one of the biggest rivalries in the state.
A physical, back and forth battle of field position saw James Dalrymple’s two touchdowns make the difference, and Clarksville won to remain undefeated, with a final score of 17-7. The win is the Wildcats’ seventh straight in the rivalry, and it secures the No. 1 overall seed in Region 7-6A for Clarksville.
Clarksville opened the game with a 17-play drive that was suffocated by Rossview on a fourth and one stop deep in their own end. Rossview punted on their ensuing drive, and time ran out in the first quarter with a 0-0 score. On the first play of the second quarter, James Dalrymple took a handoff 40 yards to the house for his first touchdown of the night, making the score 6-0.
“I thought Rossview played incredible,” said Clarksville head coach Isaac Shelby. “We needed some adversity and to learn we have to fight through that. We haven’t had a lot this year, but Rossview gave it to us, and that’s a good thing for our team long-term.”
SCOREBOARD: Check out scores from every Clarksville-area football team
Rossview responded on their next drive, going on a 10-play drive that culminated with quarterback Reed Bryant connecting with tight end Houston Hebert for the 20-yard score, and Mick Casto hit the extra point to make it 7-6.
“I’m proud of our team, we had a great chance,” said Rossview head coach Todd Hood. “We had some questionable calls that gave them momentum, but overall we had chances and just couldn’t execute when we needed to.”
On the next drive, Dalrmyple was dragged down, but rolled on top of a Rossview defender to stay up and ran in his second touchdown of the night. The second half was quiet, but a Jacob Wiggins field goal sealed it, and Clarksville kept the Warfield Shield for the seventh straight year.
For Shelby, it’s on to Northeast and then the postseason.
“It’s hard to win football games, and they’re winning a lot of them,” said Shelby. “You gotta get ready for Northeast. It’s a short week, so you have to be careful. We’ll see who wins in Memphis, and we’ll get ready for them.”
DON’T MISS A SPORTS STORY: Sign up for the free daily Clarksville Now email newsletter