Clarkdale quarterback Cal Culpepper runs through a gaping hole during the Bulldogs' home game against Southeast Lauderdale Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021.

Jason Soules couldn’t avoid the ice bath.

However cold it felt on top of temperatures being in the 50s, though, it didn’t compare to the euphoria of what his Clarkdale team had just accomplished. In defeating Southeast Lauderdale 56-6 Thursday at home, Clarkdale (8-3, 2-3) secured the No. 4 seed in Region 5-3A and a playoff berth for the first time since the 2010 season.

“When I got here four years ago and we talked about a vision of what we wanted to have — a full stadium, a strong student section, a winning season, going to the playoffs, all those things — it doesn’t have anything to do with me,” Soules said. “These kids made it happen, and they deserve all the credit. We based our season all year on getting to this ball game with a chance to go to the playoffs, and they did it, and I couldn’t be more proud. I’m the happiest coach in America.”

Quarterback Cal Culpepper scored the Bulldogs’ first touchdown on a 3-yard run with 9:29 left in the first quarter, and Clarkdale went up 14-0 when Culpepper found Mason Horne for a 13-yard touchdown pass with 5:23 left in the first.

In the second quarter, Drake Shirley’s 3-yard touchdown run put Clarkdale up 21-0 with 10:20 to go before the half, and Lance Rawson added a 7-yard touchdown run with 9:11 remaining. The two-point run failed, however, making the score 26-0, and Southeast Lauderdale cut it to 26-6 with 4:31 to go in the second when Turner Horn caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Quacedric Walk. 

Clarkdale’s Isaiah Brown had a 60-yard kickoff return on the first play in the third quarter, and Culpepper ran in the two-point conversion. Culpepper then found Horne for a 53-yard touchdown pass with 9:29 to go in he third, and Shirley later scored on a 5-yard carry with 2:52 left in the frame.

The Bulldogs’ final touchdown came on an Evan Gant 1-yard run with 9:40 remaining in the fourth quarter.

“We’ve put in a lot of work and done a lot to get where we are,” Culpepper said. “We’re really not known for football, and to be able to go and do something we haven’t done in a long time feels amazing.”

Last year’s team had a similar opportunity to make the playoffs with a win against Southeast Lauderdale, but the Bulldogs’ season was cut short due to COVID-19 protocols, denying Clarkdale the chance to take on the Tigers for the region’s No. 4 seed. A year later, Soules said Thursday’s win wasn’t just for last year’s team, but for everyone who had ever suited up at Clarkdale.

“There are a lot of kids who have played at Clarkdale who haven’t gotten to experience the success that we’re having right now,” Soules said. “When we win a game like this, it’s not just for our kids, it’s for all the kids who ever put maroon on and tried as hard as they could and fell short, and now the worm is turning. We’re not where we want to be yet, but we’re getting there, and we have great kids, and I’m so proud of them, and I’m proud of our fans. We have the best student section in the state of Mississippi and the best band and cheerleaders.”

While it’s a completely different sport, Clarkdale’s baseball team made it all the way to the MHSAA Class 3A state semifinals this past spring, and Culpepper — who plays shortstop and pitcher for the baseball team — said he believes the success the baseball players experienced carried over into football this fall.

“There are a lot of baseball players on the football team, and when we were playing baseball (last spring), we developed a mentality to win,” Culpepper said. “When we were done there, we kind of brought it down here, and the guys who don’t play baseball, they just hopped on the train and went on.”

Culpepper rushed 10 times for 124 yards and was 2 of 3 for 70 yards passing. Horne finished with 18 yards on five carries and 70 yards on two receptions and also had four tackles on defense. Shirley rushed eight times for 42 yards.

Defensively, Asher Alsobrooks had nine tackles and a sack, and Parker Webb tallied four tackles. Kendall Nance tallied five tackles and a quarterback hurry, and Cade Hopkins finished with four tackles and an interception. Brown had seven tackles for the Bulldogs.

Southeast Lauderdale finished its season 1-9. Clarkdale will travel to Jefferson Davis County next week for the first round of the Class 3A playoffs.