GREEN COVE SPRINGS – In a county rivalry game usually pitting tough defenses, two running backs stole the show Sept. 22 at Clay High as the Blue Devils rifled to a huge halftime lead then withstood a second half comeback by the Oakleaf High Knights to win 42-35.

For Clay, junior running back Aundre Carter did the damage for the Blue Devils with 210 yards rushing with one score of 28 yards while, for Oakleaf, Keshawn King created the second half explosion with his 208 yards rushing with five touchdowns. King had two scoring runs of five yards, a 50-yarder, a 17-yarder and a 61-yarder.

“Both great athletes playing on great teams that like to run the ball,” said Oakleaf coach Steve Reynolds. “It was like a heavyweight fight for 15 rounds.”

Ironically, the major playmaker of the game was Clay kicker Liz Fogarty, who dropped two successful onsides kicks and a Clay-recovered pooch kick that shifted game momentum.

Reviewing film last week, Clay High coach Joshua Hoekstra found a flaw in the way Oakleaf’s kickoff return team lined up: the Knights left a little too much space near the sideline. The Blue Devils exploited it with two successful onside kicks in the first half of Friday night’s non-district matchup of Clay County rivals, won by Clay 42-35. The win was Clay’s first over Oakleaf since 2013.

“Our kickoff team changed the whole game when it stole a couple of possessions,” said Hoekstra.

The first recovery got Clay off to a head start. After the Blue Devils’ Aundre Carter opened the scoring with a 28 yard run five minutes into the contest, kicker Liz Fogarty launched a short, high kick toward the Clay sideline. With no Oakleaf player near enough to the ball to field it, the Blue Devils’ Turner Erstad recovered it for Clay after one bounce at the Oakleaf 35 yard line.

“Fogarty did a great job of putting the ball where it needed to be, and our kickoff guys did a great job of sprinting downfield,” explained Hoekstra.

On the next play, quarterback Caleb Eason found flanker Spencer Lesage in stride on a post pattern for a 35 yard score and an early 13-0 lead. LeSage juggled the ball in the back of the end zone, but secured possession before stepping out of bounds.

The second recovery allowed the Blue Devils to snuff out an Oakleaf rally before halftime.

“They executed that kick very well and we didn’t adjust,” said Reynolds. “That soccer girl is an excellent kicker at putting the ball at any spot on the field. Impressive.”

King had just brought the visitors back from a 28-7 deficit to within 28-21 on a 17 yard run, capping a drive that was kept alive by a 17-yard scramble by freshman quarterback Tre Simmons to convert on a fourth and 15. Clay tailback Cedrick Brown burst up the middle for a score from 46 yards out on the ensuing possession to give Clay a little breathing room, and then the kickoff team struck again. This time, secondary specialist Jordan Copeland recovered a more traditionally lateral onside kick.

“On the second one, one guy hit his man, and the other guy [Copeland] recovered the ball, and again Fogarty did a great job,” explained Hoekstra.

Two plays later, Eason connected with Ajay Belanger up the sideline for a 25 yard touchdown, pushing Clay’s edge to 42-21 going into intermission.

Carter rumbled for 210 yards on 28 carries, gaining 74 yards in the first half while averaging 5.7 yards per carry, and gaining 136 yards over the final two quarters while averaging 9.1 yards per carry. The senior gained a first down on a yard run 17 yard run with under a minute remaining, permitting Clay the run out the clock.

“Aundre Carter is a big, strong, powerful kid,” said Hoekstra, “He wears you out.”

While Carter delivered the body blows, it was Eason who delivered the knockout punches. The slender senior threw for 166 yards and four touchdown passes, three to Belanger. Belanger led all pass catchers with 101 receiving yards as the Blue Devils evened their record at 2-2

The game would have been a blowout had it not been for the heroic effort by King. The junior running back was the Knights’ offense, rushing for 208 yards and all five Oakleaf touchdowns on 18 carries. King also caught four balls for 33 yards.

“Keshawn is just Keshawn and I think we are starting to come around with our ability to set him free,” said Reynolds. “It’s on us as coaches to set that up and let him go.”

The Knights, now 1-3, fought back from their halftime deficit with a five and 61 yard scoring runs by King in the second half, but could not overcome their disadvantage on special teams or three interceptions thrown by Simmons. Simmons completed nine passes in 23 attempts for 104 yards.

“We adjusted and shut them out the second half,” said Reynolds. “Now we have to put together two solid halves with our district schedule about to begin.”

Hoekstra was proud of his players’ effort, especially the special teams and the offensive line, as well as the Blue Devils’ ability to prevail despite a determined comeback effort by the Knights.

“Any time you play a Clay County team, they are not going to quit, and that makes us better,” said Hoekstra. “We know where we are, and we know what we’ve got to work on as we begin to play Class 5A teams.”

Both schools host their first district games of the season Friday, September 29. Clay’s District 5-5A match-up is with Pedro Menendez, while Oakleaf entertains Fleming Island in District 3-7A.