CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Kirkwood Cobras traveled to Clarksville High School for the middle school football county championship game against the Richview Cowboys on Wednesday night. A great, defensive slugfest saw Richview score on a 60-yard passing touchdown from Brody Wilkins to Cliff Pember, and that was all the Cowboys needed to claim their fifth straight middle school title, their third since it became an official school sport in 2023.

The first half was a battle for field position, with the first five drives of the game ending in punts. Kirkwood finally got a drive inside the red zone, with running back Kevin Caldwell getting some quality rushes. A fumble recovered by Richview’s Demarcus Martin stopped their momentum, and the first half ended with goose eggs on the scoreboard for both teams.

Kirkwood got the ball to start the second half but was forced to punt again. Richview’s offense finally broke the scoring drought, with Brody Wilkins heaving the ball downfield to Cliff Pember, who made his man miss and scampered for a 60-yard touchdown late in the third quarter to take the lead.

“Kirkwood had a great game plan, and we struggled early,” said Richview head coach Josh Richards,” We haven’t seen a lot of tough moments like that this year, but to see them stick through it and persevere together, it was awesome to watch. These kids are a family.”

Kirkwood wouldn’t go quietly though, putting together a few solid drives, but they turned it over on downs on their final two possessions, and weren’t able to put points on the board.

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“These kids fought their tails off,” said Kirkwood head coach James Figueroa. “We had some opportunities, but they just didn’t fall our way. These kids are building something special, and I’m proud of our program. They’re going to do a great job for Coach Watson next year.”

As for Richview, they battled out a lower-scoring game than they’re used to, but pulled it out late.

“It’s amazing how much the kids and the families here love football,” said Richards. “They show up every day, and they can’t get enough of it. Everything that we have asked of them, they’ve done and more, and it’s amazing to see the community rally around them. It just seems to keep getting better.”

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