Nov. 15, 1956 Turkey Day Game Time is Set for Nov. 22 at 2 P.M. "With open dates on the schedule this week both Clarendon and Holly Grove are working out for the traditional battle between the two schools Thanksgiving Day on the Clarendon field. The starting time of the Nov. 22 game was announced as 2 p.m. The game also will be the Homecoming celebration for Clarendon and appropriate recognition and ceremonies will be held. The Lions may be a bit short-handed in the Holly Grove game as reports released state that some players may not be allowed to play due to the breaking of rules set up by the school for those who wished to go deer hunting on the opening day. Holly Grove also will appear minus some key players due to injuries received late in the season. However, the fans will see a real game as each school counts a season successful if a win is chalked up in the Turkey Day Tussle."
December 1, 1955 Panthers Bow to Lions on Thanksgiving Day, 33 to 6 "The Clarendon Lions and the Holly Grove Panthers closed the 1955 football season in their traditional Turkey Day game on the day before a large crowd from both Clarendon and Holly Grove and the surrounding area. This was the Holly Grove Homecoming game and although the festivities were marred by defeat, the queen and her maids really looked beautiful and Miss Williams reigned in perfect elegance. The final score was 33 to 6 in favor of the Lions. This score was not indicative of the fight and effort put forth by the Panthers. Those youngsters, although inexperienced and short on weight, were certainly not short on the old school spirit and will to win. They surely had the feeling after the game that ‘we did our best and we lost, but just wait until next year.’ The Lions played some ‘bang-up’ defensive ball in the line. From end to end they looked good although weakened by injuries. The three most thrilling plays of the game were the two touchdown passes, on by Holly Grove and one from Oldham to Smallwood and the 77 yard return of a Holly Grove punt by Sonny Johnson which was called back due to a Clarendon off-side penalty. Ferguson, Steeland, Smallwood, and Register did some real blocking on several occasions, which helped the ball carrier to break loose for extra yards. We also saw Sonny Johnson throw a "rip sporter" of a block which counted for at least six more yards."
Monroe County Sun Nov. 28, 1935 Final Game at Holly Grove This P.M. Yellow Jackets Will Try to Break Even on Season’s Games This Afternoon as Final Contest of Season is Played "Today’s (Thursday) Thanksgiving Day grid clash with Monroe County southend rival, Holly Grove, holds answer to the Yellow Jackets’ record for the 1935 season. It is possible for the locals to end their season in this last game with either a five won and five lost standing for a 50% finish or make this year a very unfavorable one with four son and six lost. The locals are getting in the win column with more regularity toward the end of the season three – three out of the four last contests marked as local victories. This erases to a great extent the bitter memory of one triumph in the last five starts while the boys were still green and also facing stronger adversaries. Glaringly visible in the statistics to date is the trouble experienced by the locals in holding the ball – 14 fumbles to only three against the visitors…."
Monroe County Sun Dec. 5, 1935 Valient Panthers Lose to Clarendon Fight Much Harder Battle Than Expected in 19-0 Victory; Season’s Last Battle Full of Thrillers and Penalties "A vicious Clarendon high school eleven and a lion-hearted bunch of Holly Grove Panthers met with a clash on the latter city’s field with a resounding smack on Thanksgiving afternoon and the Jackets came out on the big end of a 19-0 score, but only after a hard battle. Meeting much more resistance than expected, the locals were unable to get started during the first period – in fact, the initial quarter was played in Clarendon territory with the "Jackets" hard pressed at times to hold the line. A Clarendon man fumbled the starting kick on his own 20-yard line and the opposite side recovered the pigskin. During the rest of the period, Hinton Williamson in a series of amazing punts kept the locals on the 5 and 10 yard lines except toward the end when the latter began a drive netting two consecutive first downs. Beginning with a fumble in the second quarter, Carlton Spears returned a Panther punt to the Holly Grove 45 yard line and after an exchange of punts, Clarendon first downed and then in the first completed pass of the game early in the second quarter. Orvis Brewer flung a high, long pass in the general direction of the end zone. Harold Evans was awaiting its arrival and tucked the pellet in his arm for the first marker of the contest – a forty yard gain. Extra point was good. Just preceding the end of the second quarter. Holly Grove made a scoring threat but were finally held – and punted out on the 17 yard line immdiately before the half. In a series of line plunges that Clarendon football fans should be proud of, fullback Thomas Knight started a skull-busting campaign in the third quarter which gained a lot of yardage for his team. Full of exceptionally poor decisions and lots of penalties, the hectic fourth and last quarter resulted in two granted touchdowns for Coach Reasoner’s charges – more than any other period but exactly half as many as were earned so asserted many enthusiasts. Following three or four minor penalties, Brewer uncorked another long spiral into the ozone which came to rest in Evans’ arms for a sixty yard gain and a tally for Clarendon. Intermixed with more penalties, Thomas Knight bucked the ball from midfield across the goal line only to drop it – however, he recovered it. Referees ruled that it was a safety and brought the ball out to the 20 yard line and gave it to Holly Grove. Not to be stopped, Evans received another touchdown pass which was called back for some reason not quite clear to coaches and spectators. When Clarendon blocked a Holly Grove punt and recovered it behind the enemy goal line, and it looked as though the officials were going to penalize the Jackets some more yardage, a great howl went up from the sideline and Clarendon was given a touchdown, but were forced to attempt their unsuccessful extra point from the 17 yard line. Outstanding features of the game were Knight’s line plunging, penalties, and the hard fight put up by the Panthers against a heavier and tougher team. Clarendon earned 12 first downs, completed five out of fourteen passes, had two intercepted, fumbled three times (recovering two of them) and were penalized 45 yards while the Panthers succeeded in getting four first downs, completed three of seventeen pass attempts, had two intercepted, recovered five fumbles of which four were their own, and were penalized 20 yards. All in all it was a fine game from the weather’s point of view, resulting in plenty of excitement and fun for all."
Monroe County Sun November 25, 1954 by: Dwayne Milner Clarendon Meets Holly Grove Panthers Here Today for Annual Thanksgiving Game "The Clarendon-Holly Grove game today will bring the two teams together for the twentieth time, since their Turkey Day rivalry was started in the year 1935." "Clarendon is the older of the two as far as football is concerned. The first football team in Clarendon High School was organized in 1908 or 1909 by Dan O’Neil, adopted son on Mrs. Annie Johnson, who came here from the East where football had already gained recognition. He was a student at Clarendon High School at the time." "During those early years, Clarendon played such teams as Augusta, Brinkley, Stuttgart, and Cotton Plant. They played each team twice during each season." "Holly Grove did not start football until some years later. It was in 1931 that Holly Grove had its first team. The captain of that first team was C.R. Gordon, the present coach of the Holly Grove team." "Clarendon and Holly Grove started their rivalry in 1932. Clarendon defeated them twice that same year." "In 1940, C.R. Gordon returned to Holly Grove as coach. In his second year there as coach, the Holly Grove team won their first victory over Clarendon. They had never been able to defeat Clarendon previous to this date. The score of that particular game was 19-6." "Since Sonny Gordon’s appearance as the Holly Grove coach, his team has been in Clarendon’s hair continuously and have won more than their share of the games." "In the year 1941, Clarendon’s present coach, Rush Harding, Jr. came into the picture of a lowly sub for the Holly Grove team. It was in 1943 that he won his first letter. That year, Clarendon lost to Holly Grove 19-7." "In 1944, when Harding was a junior at Holly Grove, Clarendon won the game 7-6 on a disputed play for the extra point. After the game, the officials admitted they were wrong on their decision but there was no protest from the Holly Grove coach." "In 1945, the Lions had one of their best years by losing only one game. They defeated Holly Grove that year, 17-0. The highlight of that game was a 27-yard field goal by Guina Miller. The ball was resting 15 yards from the sidelines. Miller had to kick at a terrific angle. Coach Harding said that he well remembers the play. He was playing linebacker for the Holly Grove team at the time. It was Clarendon’s fourth down, and he was telling all his team to watch for a pass." The record since 1932 is as follows: 1932 – Clarendon 1933 – Clarendon 1934 – Clarendon 1935 – Clarendon 1936 – Clarendon 1937 – Clarendon 1938 – Clarendon 1939 – Clarendon 1940 – Clarendon 1941 – Holly Grove 1942 – Tie 1943 – Holly Grove 1944 – Clarendon 1945 – Clarendon 1946 – Clarendon 1947 – Holly Grove 1948 – Holly Grove 1949 – Clarendon 1950 – Holly Grove 1951 – Holly Grove 1952 – Holly Grove 1953 – Clarendon "Since the two teams have started the series, Clarendon has won 14 games to Holly Grove’s 7, they have tied one." "Since 1940, the year Sonny Gordon started coaching the Holly Grove team, the record stands with Clarendon having 6 wins to Holly Grove’s 7 wins. The two teams have tied one game during that time." "The 63-6 and 58-0 defeats handed the Lions were two of their worst defeats in history. It can be remembered that in 1951, Clarendon had lost only one game and by all comparative scores should have won the game. The same being true in 1950 when the Lions were dumped 58-0." "By comparative scores, the Lions should defeat the Holly Grove eleven handily today, but the coaches had players of the Lions remember those two ill-fated years in 1950 and 1951. No holds are barred when these two teams get together on Thanksgiving. The seniors will be playing their last high school football [game], and they will be playing with everything they have. If there is any hard driving left in a boy, he will put it forth on this day."
Brinkley Argus December 2, 1954 Clarendon Wins Over Holly Grove By Score of 32-13 "The Clarendon Lions won their Thanksgiving game over Holly Grove on the Clarendon field last Thursday afternoon, before a large crowd and in bright sunny weather." "Neither of the county teams scored in the first quarter, but Clarendon scored twice in the second quarter. Ronald Boyle, Larry Steel and Calvin Neal were in the scoring plays. In the third quarter, Neal scored again for Clarendon on a five-yard line play." "It was near the end of the third quarter before Holly Grove Panthers clicked. It was a 35 yard pass play, Davidson to Bryant." "The other scores for both teams came during the balance of the game." "The Clarendon seniors, playing their last game were: Neal, Boyle, David Landess, Joel Breeding, Lawson, Bobby Simpson, Jimmy McKay, Terry, and Thomas Hayes."
Brinkley Argus November 24, 1955 Holly Grove Panthers Meet Clarendon Lions This Afternoon "The Holly Grove Panthers will meet the Clarendon Lions at 2 o’clock this afternoon for their annual "Turkey Day" game on the Panther home field. This is the last game of the season for both teams and is the Panther’s homecoming event." "Five seniors on the Panther squad will see action on the Holly Grove gridiron for the last time in this game against Clarendon. They are: Bobby Fisher, guard; D.A. Miller, co-captain and center; Gene Bryant, center; Darrell Beadles, tackle; and Frank Hill, guard." "The series of "turkey day" contest between the Panthers and Lions began in 1931 with Clarendon victorious. Clarendon continued to win until 1941 when the Panthers finally broke into the win column. From that time on there has been no dominant team with the exception of the string of five straight victories the Panthers put together from the years 1948 to 1952. At present, Clarendon is enjoying a winning string of two straight. Although this traditional game takes no back seat to any game in the state when you consider the intense rivalry, there is a certain mutual respect for the other that has made the game even more important."
