Clark County Grinds Out First Win, Tops South Shelby 14-8 in Defensive Showdown
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KAHOKA, Mo. — The Clark County Indians are in the win column.
In a hard-fought, defensive battle Friday night at Clark County Activity Field, the Indians held off the visiting South Shelby Cardinals, 14-8, to earn their first victory of the season and snap an early-season losing streak.
Both teams entered the contest at 0-3 and eager to shift momentum. South Shelby won the opening coin toss and deferred, giving Clark County the ball first. The Indians took advantage right away — recovering their own onside kick at the 48-yard line and then stringing together a 12- play, 52-yard scoring drive. Senior Brennan Fuller finished the march with a touchdown run, and Reid Sammons added the two-point conversion to give Clark County an early 8-0 lead with 6:54 left in the first quarter.
South Shelby responded with a promising drive of its own, advancing into Clark County territory. But the drive was cut short when Reid Sammons intercepted a pass in the end zone, halting a potential scoring threat. The Indians took over at their own 20 but quickly turned it back over with a fumble, giving South Shelby possession at the 14-yard line. The Cardinals capitalized on the short field, as Jace McWilliams ran in a touchdown and Chase Moellering converted the two-point attempt to tie the game at 8-8 with just two seconds left in the first quarter.
After the opening fireworks, both teams settled into a defensive rhythm. The second and third quarters were marked by stalled drives, punts, and turnovers on downs as neither offense could break through.
The deadlock finally broke late in the fourth quarter. Starting from their own 33, the Indians pieced together a critical drive. On a pivotal 4th-and-6 from the South Shelby 29-yard line, quarterback Lukas Weaver connected with Conner Waples on a 29-yard touchdown pass to give Clark County the lead. The two-point attempt was unsuccessful, but the Indians led 14-8 with 5:32 remaining.
South Shelby punted on their next possession, and Clark County appeared poised to close out the game, but a late fumble gave the Cardinals one final chance. With under a minute left, South Shelby turned the ball over on downs, and Clark County began to run out the clock. However, with timeouts remaining, the Cardinals forced a punt with just six seconds left on the clock.
On the final play, South Shelby launched a deep pass in desperation, but Weaver — playing both ways — came up with an interception as time expired, sealing the Indians’ first win of the 2025 season.
With the win, Clark County moves to 1-3, while South Shelby falls to 0-4. The Indians will look to build on this gritty performance as they head to Monroe City on Friday.
