Red Devils clipped in OT

CARNEYS POINT — Damian Ware had no doubt his Penns Grove football team was in the playoffs even before it took the field for its regular season finale Saturday. The game was just a chance to get back on the winning track, gain a little momentum for the postseason and maybe improve their standing a little.

The Red Devils gave themselves every chance to do all those things, but they were clipped by Clayton 12-6 when Naeem Smith found the end zone from 8 yards out in overtime.

Penns Grove entered the game tied for 13th in the South Jersey Group 1 UPR standings. The Red Devils were tied with Gateway, but held the common opponent tiebreaker over the Gators.

They were a comfortable three points ahead of the first team out, so they never doubted they were in. Ware even thought there was a chance they could even move up when everything got calculated after the completion of Saturday’s games.

A 4:50 p.m. projection had the Red Devils dropping to 14th in the overall UPR and playing at Salem in the opening round. Whoever they play, they’ll go in on a four-game losing streak after starting the season 4-0 one year removed from going winless.

Both teams Saturday scored in the second quarter and both team’s defenses stopped the two-point conversion to keep things even through the second half.

Penns Grove struck first when Terrell Thomas went in from the 2 in the first minute of the second quarter. The Clippers tied it 69 seconds before halftime when Smith scored from the 2.

The Red Devils made several defensive stands in the second half to give their offense a chance. They forced and recovered a fumble on their 15, Maliq Reddick had a big sack and tackle for loss tp force the Clippers back from midfield and Jerry Wooton had an interception with 2:36 left to give them a chance to win it late in regulation.

Penns Grove went four-and-out with its possession in overtime. Clayton ran six plays, with Smith determined to end it from the 8. He took a pitch, got to the left corner and took a beeline to the end zone. Smith rushed for 125 yards.

Penns Grove’s Jaivon Thomas had his bid to become a 1,000-yard rusher as a freshman put on hold. He rushed for 54 yards and now needs 89 to reach the milestone.

This story will be updated.