SALISBURY — Clint Comadoll has the reputation of a guy who’ll give you the shirt off his back for the betterment of the team.
Or the shirt off someone else’s back.
Late in Friday’s game at Lexington, Comadoll broke through the defensive line and clinched the jersey of Lexington quarterback Raekwon Byrd, tearing a part of it off and forcing Lexington to use a timeout to get Byrd some new threads. It gave new meaning to the phrase wardrobe malfunction.
“I just grabbed on and started pulling down like I normally do,” Comadoll said. “I was trying to rip it completely off after it was already ripped just so I could have a piece. I would have taken the whole jersey off if I had kept pulling.”
It was one of those plays that draws accolades from teammates and coaches alike. It was a galvanizing moment for a team that hadn’t had much to cheer about in the first seven games.
“One of the guys said, ‘You have to at least buy him dinner first before you get to second,’ ” Comadoll quipped.
It was undoubtedly the loudest statement made by Comadoll, a soft-spoken guy who lets his play do the talking. On the field, he’s a leader of the defense, which has been led by Ryan Crowder for much of the last decade. Crowder was defensive coordinator before being promoted to head coach this year.
“He’s not like one of those guys that’s going to go out and be in everybody’s face,” Crowder said.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound senior was instrumental in the Hornets’ first win of the year. Comadoll is as versatile as he interchangeable at linebacker and defensive end. His athleticism isn’t limited to the gridiron. He’s played soccer for much of his prep career, helping SHS win a state title in 2011 and the state’s No.1 ranking this year. Crowder says he’s received attention from some Division II schools for football.
Comadoll sprawled through Lexington’s front just about every other play, coming up with a staggering five sacks and six tackles for loss. The SHS coaching staff calculated that Comadoll’s stops behind the line accounted for negative-82 yards. The Yellow Jackets were held to 10 first downs and 72 yards rushing.
“He’s one of those quiet guys that’s going to go out there and play with all he’s got every week,” Crowder said. “You can count on 24 being out there making plays wherever they need to be.”
Salisbury was shut out four times in the first six games. The Hornets faced an early-season slate that included Lake Norman, South Iredell and Southeast Guilford. In the Central Carolina Conference opener against East Davidson, Salisbury (1-7, 1-1) put up a season-high in points but had an extra point blocked that led to a 33-32 defeat. Vindication finally came in last week’s 25-21 victory. Thomasville looms on Friday at Ludwig Stadium and the teams have been no stranger to classic contests in recent years. Thomasville scored a long touchdown in the final minute in 2011. Salisbury scored the go-ahead touchdown with four seconds left last season in a win that resulted in a CCC title.
“The home team has won the last five games so hopefully we can keep that going,” Crowder said.