By MONTE DUTTON

Javen Cook (3) is little but loud (Monte Dutton photos).

Clinton (4-3, 1-0 Region 1-3A) puts a 15-game region win streak – spanning two classifications and regions and dating back to 2021– on the line Friday night at Chesnee (4-2, 1-0).

The Red Devils and Eagles are in the same region, but to date, they have one common opponent. Woodruff defeated Clinton, 21-13, and Chesnee, 52-17, so there’s that.

Both schools are ranked in the latest S.C. Media Poll. Clinton is third and Chesnee is 10th.

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The Red Devils won their first region game in a romp, 49-6, over Liberty (4-3, 0-1). Not much that could be said about that game is irrelevant to this one. The reigning Class 2A state champions have sharpened their pitchforks with a pre-region schedule against four 3A and two 4A schools.

The flagship in Clinton’s rushing flotilla, Javen Cook, has thus far run for 768 yards and 15 touchdowns. Angelo Cromer (464 yards), Zy Butler (364) and K.J. Vance (284) are similarly productive, all averaging at least six yards per carry. Cook’s norm is 8.7.

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Last week the Red Devils averaged 14.5 yards per carry as a team.

History favors Clinton, which has never lost to any of its region opponents. The Red Devils are 3-0 versus Chesnee and Blacksburg, 2-0 against Liberty and 1-0 against Landrum.

Chesnee’s victories are over Pendleton, Walhalla, North Carolina’s R-S Central and Blacksburg.

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Evan Reece-Lawter has already rushed for 1,202 yards, though he has only scored three touchdowns. Like Clinton, Chesnee concentrates on overland routes.

This could be the week for Laurens (0-6, 0-1 Region 1-4A), which visits Greenville to face Southside (0-6, 0-1).

The Raiders blitzed the Tigers, 45-0, last year for their only victory.

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It’s likely to be more of the same for Laurens Academy (6-1, 2-0 SCISA 8-man Region 1), which defeated its home opponent, Christian Academy (0-3) of Myrtle Beach, 42-16, on Sept. 5.

I probably never talked to Taneal Evans more than a handful of times when she was played basketball at Clinton High School, but she was the kind of player who spoke through her exuberance on the court.

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Evans, 20, was shot and killed on the side of Coleman Road in Clinton on Friday night. Another person is recovering in a hospital.

She was an energetic player, a perpetual-motion machine. It a shame that spirit was extinguished.

Her CHS coach, John Gardner, paid homage to his former player on social media.

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“Life is too short in the first place, and people treat it like they get redos,” Gardner wrote. “It’s just not fair. Fighting and shooting aren’t the answer. A young life gone way too soon.

“I got to watch Taneal grow up from begging to get on the blacktop to shoot some basketball at [Clinton Elementary School] to hitting game-winning shots at CHS.”

Click here.Caleb Hardy led Laurens Academy (6-1, 2-0 SCISA 8-man Region 1) to a 36-14 victory over Wardlaw Academy, and his two-way artistry – virtually all the Crusaders play offense and defense – led to his selection as the Laurens County Touchdown Club’s Player of the Week.The junior led the offense with 232 yards rushing on 27 carries and three touchdowns.  Additionally, Hardy scored one two-point conversion and had four receptions for 22 yards. On defense Hardy had nine tackles, an interception, a tackle for loss and three pass deflections. Click here.Stated his head coach, Jolly Doolittle, “Caleb is a relentless competitor who cares about the success of the team. He is willing to do anything for team success. He is generally our first option at attacking another team’s defense and the guy we match up on the other team’s best weapon.”The TD Club next meets on Oct. 16 at The Ridge in Laurens at noon. The guest speaker is ex-Wofford coach Mike Ayers. Click here.Clinton football is broadcast on WPCC (96.5 FM, 1410 AM, largetime.net). “Saturday Morning Rewind” is at 9 a.m., followed by a replay of the game from the night before.Laurens can be heard on streaming at GoLaurens.com.

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