CLARKSDALE — The Charleston High School Tigers lost a hard-fought 30-14 decision to the Clarksdale High School Wildcats here Friday night.
Clarksdale improved to 3-0 while Charleston fell to 1-1 on the young season.
“We missed a few opportunities offensively, dropped a few passes and didn’t execute as well, but I think we answered the bell,” said CHS head coach Rasheed DeBerry. “Defensively, we were pretty decent against the run and answered the bell on the physicality, I believe.”
Class 2A Charleston was able to hang with Class 4A Clarksdale for most of the first half.
After spotting the Wildcats 12 points, the Tigers got on the scoreboard with a Devon Olive to Josh Hardiman 8-yard touchdown pass near the end of the second quarter. Marcus “Deuce” Flowers ran in the two-point conversion.
Now trailing 12-8, the Tigers had to kick off to the Wildcats with 15 seconds left on the first half clock. Lightning struck when the returner went the distance to increase the lead to 18-8 at the break.
“That big play just before the half kind of turned the game a little bit,” said DeBerry. “We should have went into the half 12-8.”
The Tigers gave up two second-half scores and had one themselves: a 49-yard catch and run with the jets turned on by Flowers.
Statistically, Olive completed 4-of-12 passes for 97 yards, two TDs and one pick.
The normally potent running back Flowers was largely held in check by the Wildcats, but he still managed to pick up 51 yards on 12 runs.
Flowers also led the Tigers in receiving with three catches for 88 yards and a touchdown. Hardiman had the one reception for a touchdown, and P.J. Goliday caught one pass for 1 yard.
This Friday, the Tigers will host their cross-county rival, the West Tallahatchie High School Choctaws, in the annual “Battle of the Golden Egg.”
West Tally is 3-0 on the season after doubling up the Ruleville Edwards Tigers to the tune of 44-22 at Choctaw Stadium last week.
The 2024-2025 campaigns mark the first time in more than two-and-a-half decades that the Choctaws have started consecutive seasons 3-0.
A year ago, they boasted a 4-0 mark before hosting Charleston, losing 52-24.
The Tigers have won the egg game 36 straight times. West Tally last won it in 1984. But they did give Charleston all they could handle a year ago, trailing 18-16 at the half before the game got out of hand.
DeBerry lauded the Choctaws, saying, “West Tally has been on the rise,” and cautioned his team against “getting caught up in distractions.”
“It’s always a fun game, always a highly intense game, but we need to treat it as just another game, another business trip,” he noted.
He also said the Tigers must “correct the mistakes that we had and some of the opportunities that we missed on Friday night, and get some things cleaned up.”
DeBerry said the Choctaws are “pretty big up front and have some good athletes,” adding, “We have to make sure we’re disciplined, make sure we’re gap solid.”
