Sweetwater defeats Clyde 42-21

Sweetwater collected its second win of the year Friday as the team went on the road and won 42-21 at Clyde. Harrison Foster (4) is shown after making a catch for the Mustangs in the game against a Clyde defender. Foster had one touchdown and intercepted a pass to set up another touchdown for Sweetwater, which is back home to face Eastland this week for homecoming.

CLYDE — What has been a schizophrenic season for Sweetwater’s football team — a blowout one way or the other — continued Friday as the Mustangs defeated the Clyde Bulldogs 42-21.

Sweetwater (2-3) has won its two games by an average of 24 points; its three losses have been by an average of 38 points.

Of course, it’s better to be a blowout winner. “A win is always good,” said head coach Russell Lucas. “It will make next week go better.

“We had too many mistakes and left points on the board, but really the whole thing was pretty good.” Sweetwater scored in all four quarters to keep Class 3A Clyde winless (0-5) this season, but it was well into the second quarter before the Mustangs took control on Leo Holsey’s 78-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Harrison Foster that put Sweetwater up 21-7.

Sweetwater added another two scores to increase its lead to 35-7 until Clyde won the fourth quarter 14-7 for the final 21-point margin.

It looked like it might be a shootout until the second quarter, when Sweetwater got two key stops on defense to preserve a 13-7 lead.

It led to the 78-yard score following a 23-yard missed field goal attempt by Clyde that came just 16 seconds before Holsey hooked up with Foster with 8:35 before the half. It became a threescore lead at the 4:08 mark after Foster’s interception led to a Holsey scoring pass to Armando Torres from 20 yards out.

The Mustangs had earlier held the Bulldogs scoreless after Clyde threatened on two straight series, stopping the first on Torres’ interception at Sweetwater’s 1.

Clyde had great field position at the Mustang 22 after a punt, and the Bulldogs again threatened by getting to the 5 before settling for a short field goal that failed.

Clyde later had a 44-yard kick return that allowed it to start at Sweetwater’s 35, but was stopped on fourth down at the Mustang 26 just a yard short, and didn’t threaten again until the fourth quarter. But the Mustangs didn’t take advantage of their chances to add to their 27-7 lead late in the first half, wasting opportunities to score after starting at Clyde’s 48 and 36. The half ended with an incomplete pass in the end zone after the Mustangs had reached Clyde’s 13.

Clyde tied it 7-7 in the first quarter with a 62-yard drive on its first series after Sweetwater scored on Holsey’s 40-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Brockman to cap a 73-yard drive to open the contest. After the Bulldogs tied it, the Mustangs went 70 yards in eight plays and scored on Holsey’s second of four TD passes, a 26-yarder to Jackson Dodd for a 13-7 lead with 4:12 to play in the first quarter.

Holsey ran for a score to give Sweetwater a 35-7 lead in the third quarter.

The Mustangs’ last score was a 47-yard Ethan Aguilar run that made it 42-14 in the fourth period. Sweetwater hosts Eastland (1-3) for homecoming this Friday at 7 p.m., the Mustangs’ last non-district tuneup as they go for their second straight win before hosting Snyder in the District 1-4A, D-II opener Oct. 8. Eastland got its first win by beating Breckenridge, 28-19, after losing to Wall, Holliday and No. 1 3A D-I Jim Ned.