By Brian Livingston
When rain and slippery, muddy conditions dictate the kind of game that needs to be played, it is the battle for the line of scrimmage that usually determines who will come out on top.
Friday night in Clarkdale, the Bulldogs and the Scott Central sloshed their way through the water and muck with the Rebels building a 34-0 lead before winning going away 34-21.
The normally pass-happy Rebels relied instead on the shifty legs of Rebel quarterback Jimmy Bloomfield and the power of halfback Chris Ficklin to jump out of a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
With rain falling heavily on the already soaked turf, Ficklin bulled over from about 12 yards out for the Rebels first score. The PAT was no good, but later in the first quarter Broomfield outraced the Bulldog defense to the left corner of the end zone and then followed that up with a 2-point conversion for the 14-0 lead.
Broomfield again, able to juke and move in the water and mud, gave the Rebels a 21-0 lead with 10:29 left in the second quarter when he sped in from 17 yards out.
The open running lanes for Clarkdale running backs Eric Houston, Micah Reddmond, Ricardo Forbes and Dusty Sullivan that existed last week against an overmatched Lake squad were nonexistent against the much bigger and quicker Scott Central defense.
Ficklin scored again with about six minutes left in the half on a 5-yard plunge and with the successful PAT the Rebels were cruising in the rain with a 28-0 lead.
On their first possession of the second half, Broomfield faked to Ficklin going up the middle and then froze two Bulldog defenders on the right side. He turned on the water jets and 32 yards later dove into the endzone for Scott Central's last score of the night and the Rebels led 34-0.
It wasn't until there was 3:36 left in the third quarter that Reddmond posted Clarkdale's first movement of the yard markers with a 15-yard scamper to the Rebel 48-yard line. On the next play, Forbes weaved through the Rebel backups for the Bulldog's first score. Mason Tab, picking up an errant snap for the PAT, ran in for a 2-point conversion.
Fumbles plagued both teams as did interceptions whenever one or the other tempted fate in the elements. But it was after a bad punt by Broomfield that the Bulldogs were able to score again, this time on a 12-yard pass from Redmond to Gabe Shelby. The PAT was no good and the Rebels held a 34-14 lead with 9:22 left in the fourth period.
Clarkdale's last score came on a Reddmond quaterback counter from 24 yards out with 2:59 to play. Tabb's PAT was good for the 34-21 final.
Scott Central, out of Region 5-2A ran their record to 4-1, while Clarkdale fell to 2-3.
