CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The East Robertson Indians traveled to “The Pit” at Kirkwood High School for a matchup of two of the top teams in the state on Friday. A back-and-forth, physical battle saw Kirkwood take the lead late, but the Indians stole it right back with a touchdown at the buzzer, stealing a win in a game for the ages, punctuated by some blasts of lightning.
East Robertson struck first via a Cade Brooks rushing touchdown from seven yards out, but Kirkwood tight end Parker Keenan returned the favor with his own seven-yard score on a pass from Miles Reding to even the score at 7. fter forcing a few Indian turnovers, Cobra running back Josiah Claybrooks added on a two-yard rushing touchdown, and Hudson Marsh drilled a 33-yard field goal to extend the lead to 17-7.
However, before the first half closed, East Robertson beat the buzzer with a touchdown from Tennessee commit Zach Groves to cut the lead right before the halftime break. Through 24 minutes, two of the top teams in the state were going blow-for-blow with each other.
“Our defense was able to stifle them, and our offense took advantage,” said Kirkwood head coach Chad Watson. “Miles is a veteran leader for us, and he was huge, he’s going to be playing somewhere on Saturdays.
| SCOREBOARD: Check out scores from every Clarksville-area football team
East Robertson’s first drive of the second half was a slow, methodical chain mover until running back Caleb McNeil broke free for a 30-yard rushing touchdown, and the Indians retook the lead. However, Reding somehow found a wide-open Jayden Norris on a scramble for a 78-yard touchdown four minutes later, and the Cobras moved ahead.
The score stayed there for the whole fourth quarter, until both teams were sent into a lightning delay with 2:56 left to play. When the teams returned, Kirkwood’s offense was forced to punt, and the Indians mounted a comeback, driving 69 yards in two and a half minutes, before quarterback Kason Young connected with Brooks in the corner of the endzone with only six seconds remaining. In a battle of two great teams, East Robertson made the last play to capture a huge road win and stay undefeated.
“Our kids are a group of fighters,” said Watson. “No matter what, they’re never gonna quit. I would’ve loved to find a way to win it, but I’m so proud of them. We have to let this hurt for a little while, but then refocus for next week. I’ll go to war with my guys any day.”
Elsewhere in Clarksville
- Clarksville 56, McGavock 0
- Rossview and West Creek were rescheduled to Monday
- Dickson County and Northwest were rescheduled to Saturday
- Hickman County 37, Montgomery Central 14
- Friendship Christian 42, Clarksville Academy 26
- Pearl Cohn 19, Kenwood 0
Wesley Irvin contributed to this report.