Williams scores 4 touchdowns to lead Clay past HBHS

By Dale Liesch (Contact) | Alex City Outlook

Published Saturday, October 10, 2009

Improved second half play by Horseshoe Bend didn’t turn into points for the Generals as they fell to Clay County High School 28-0 in a weather-shortened contest in Ashland.

Horseshoe Bend allowed Panther running back D.J. Williams into the end zone four times for the only points of the game. Williams scored in the first quarter and then three times in the second, running for touchdowns of 1 yard, 2 yards and 44 yards. The final score of the game came with 43 seconds left in the first half.

Horseshoe Bend head coach Jason Franklin said his team came out timid in the opening half.

“We just didn’t block and we didn’t execute,” Franklin said. “We had people out there, but we have to make plays. We came out a little timid in the first half and you can’t do that against good teams.

Generals’ running back Brandon Thomas was injured returning a kick late in the second half, but the junior should be okay, according to Franklin.

“He’ll be fine,” Franklin said “He just got his bell rung.”

The game was delayed 45 minutes because of lightning during halftime. The scoreboard at Horn-White stadium was disabled and the field lights went down briefly during halftime due to the severe weather.

The delay benefited the Generals as they played much better in the shortened second half and showed a lot more effort.

“We can block and we can execute if we give the kind of effort we gave in the second half,” Franklin said. “When you give that kind of effort good things can happen.”

The Generals are right in the thick of the playoff hunt in 2A, Region 5 as Horseshoe Bend was in fourth place coming in to the game at Clay County.

“I don’t know any of the scenarios, but we just need to win and let the cards fall where they may,” Franklin said.

While the Generals have played well overall this season with a record of 4-3, the team will need to play physical football in the coming games, according to Franklin.

“You have to have confidence to play physical football,” Franklin said. “We showed we had that confidence in second half. We showed we could play with them.”

The Generals take on Woodland next week in New Site in an important region game.

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