Heyworth improves to 2-0 after 58-6 rout of Clinton


Heyworth dominated Clinton from start to finish Friday night, earning a 58-6 victory and improving to 2-0 on the season. The Hornets' offense, defense and depth proved too much for the visiting Maroons in the dominant home win.

Bartels makes yards behind his linemen
Photo: Alan Look Photography/Alan Look

Heyworth's Lucas Bartels looks for open yardage behind a blocker in the Hornets' Week 2 game against the Clinton Maroons.


by Alan Look
Best Look Magazine


HEYWORTH - Friday night under the lights in Heyworth was a relentless statement performance from start to finish. The Heyworth Hornets put on an absolute clinic on their home field, delivering a 58-6 powerhouse victory over the visiting Clinton Maroons.

Just a week earlier, the Hornets, last year's Heart of Illinois Conference Small School Division champions, rolled past Shelbyville 27-6 in their season opener.

From the opening whistle, Heyworth controlled every phase of the game. The offense moved the ball almost at will, stacking up unanswered touchdowns and pulling away early, which brought the IHSA running clock into play for the second half.

On the defensive side, the Hornets were overwhelming, forcing turnovers and shutting down Clinton's drive momentum snap after snap. To their credit, the Maroons kept fighting to put points on the board late, but the night belonged entirely to Heyworth, whose depth, execution and explosive energy set a high bar for the rest of the season.


Braydon Laesch gets past Cole Thomas
Photo: Alan Look Photography/Alan Look

Braydon Laesch gets past Cole Thomas. See more photos from the Heyworth - Clinton football gallery here.

Jaleel Eads assists in stopping Marshawn Fitch
Photo: Alan Look Photography/Alan Look

Jaleel Eads assists in stopping Marshawn Fitch.

Caleb Troha stands in the backfield looking for a receiver
Photo: Alan Look Photography/Alan Look

Caleb Troha stands in the backfield looking for a receiver. See more photos from the Heyworth - Clinton football gallery here.

With the victory, Heyworth, which finished last season 8-3, improves to 2-0 on the young season, while Clinton falls to 0-2 as it searches for answers moving forward. It was the kind of dominant home win that energizes an entire community and sends a loud message across Central Illinois.

The Hornets look to continue their momentum next Friday, hosting Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley. Meanwhile, Clinton will use the week to prepare for a home matchup against the Warrensburg-Latham Cardinals, who enter the game 1-1.


Alan Look is a Central Illinois photographer with more than two and a half decades of experience documenting sports, agriculture, automotive subjects, editorial assignments, and commercial projects across the Midwest. His work blends high‑impact action photography with long‑form documentary coverage, creating a visual record of regional sports history, rural life, and the people and industries that define Central Illinois.



TAGGED: Heyworth football 58-6 Clinton victory, Heyworth Hornets football 2026 season, Clinton Maroons high school football, Heart of Illinois Conference Small School football, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley vs Heyworth football


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