27 Aug 2011 Clinton: Yellow Jackets defending 2-4A crown

The Yellow Jackets posted a magical season last fall, blazing through the regular season with a 9-1 record. Clinton finished first in the 2-4A and earned a first-round bye in the playoffs.

But the magic came to an abrupt end in the second round at Ashdown. The Yellow Jackets lost, 27-19.

“Last year was just a coach’s dream season,” coach Chris Dufrene said. “I had good kids with good character on and off the field. We really had good senior leadership, which makes a huge difference.”

Clinton had three players accumulate more than 1,000 yards of offense, and two of those players return as seniors this year in the Wing T – quarterback Park Parish (5-10, 180) and fullback Dylan Toney (5-10, 165).

Dufrene is looking to three Yellow Jackets to lead the defense: junior tackle Malcolm Cambron (6-4, 270), senior linebacker Marcus Caldwell (6-3, 205) and senior cornerback Corey Lambeth (5-7, 145).

Can the Yellow Jackets repeat as 2-4A champs? Dufrene is confident it can happen.

“We have another really strong team,” he said. “The conference is up for grabs this year. Heber Springs, Lonoke, Newport, Stuttgart  – all really good. But we can beat all of them if we’re on a roll and have good senior leadership.”