For the first time since 1989, Clayton is playing for a state football championship.

It was Aiden’s version, as in Aiden Smalls, as the Cardinal Gibbons transfer turned Clayton quarterback accounted for all five touchdowns in a heart stopping 35-32 win over his former team in Raleigh on Thursday night.

The last touchdown, a 32-yard strike to Parker Ferguson, can with just 33 seconds left to push the Comets (12-2) to a state title game berth. Date and time for that are still TBA.

Johnston County prep reporting legend D. Clay Best has a excellent write up for HighSchoolOT.

And our friends at Curtis Media Group (102.3 FM, JoCoFootball.com) had the radio call, and shared these clips. It’s Chris Hooks on play-by-play and Joe Simmons on color.

First, the go-ahead touchdown:

Now, the final play: