ATLANTA - Justin Gainey ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns and Clinch County scored twice in the first 34 seconds of the fourth quarter to pull away for a 26-6 win over Lincoln County in a Class A state semifinal on Friday.<br>
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Clinch County (13-1) plays in the finals against the winner of Saturday's game between Bowdon and defending state champion Hawkinsville. The Panthers will appear in their fifth state championship game. They won titles in 1988, 1991 and 2002, and they lost to Hawkinsville in the 2003 semifinals.<br>
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Lincoln County (12-2) committed five turnovers and finished with one net rushing yard and 131 total yards, and they didn't surpass 100 until their final possession. The Red Devils' four second-half possessions ended with three turnovers and one fourth-down failure.<br>
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Lincoln opened the scoring on Cordaryll Coppin's 30-yard pass to Brandon Barden. The extra point was no good and the Red Devils led 6-0.<br>
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Clinch took the lead on Gainey's 12 yard run. He appeared to be stopped at the two before teammates pushed the pile into the end zone, and Boris Lee's extra point made it 7-6 late in the second quarter.<br>
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Wendell Cobb's one-yard run late in the third pushed the lead to 14-6. Jared Bighams' one-yard run on the first play of the fourth and Gainey's 21-yard run with 11:34 to play put the game out of reach.<br>
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(The Associated Press)
