Lions lack focus in 40-27 loss to Crestwood

Focus.  Focus.  Focus.

That’s the message Coach Jared DeVries said he would be stressing following his teams’ 40-27 loss to Crestwood in the Class 2A District 3 opener Friday night.

“We had a lack of focus— too many mistakes.  We can’t turn the ball over and give up the points and yardage we did and expect to come away  with a win,” said DeVries, whose team slipped to 4-2, 0-1 and dropped out of the Radio Iowa rankings after sitting at number five last week.  “Beating ourselves up and getting down on ourselves is not what we are about.  It is all about how we respond,” added the coach in advance of the Lions’ district contest this week against winless Forest City.

Points and yardage were plentiful in the Crestwood game, as the Lions finished with 378-yards of offense, while the host Cadets had 522.  Reece Wilson, a junior fullback for Crestwood was elusive, piling up 298 yards rushing on 48 carries.  Wilson picked up another 12 yards receiving to top the 300-yard mark.

The teams were off to the races from the opening whistle.

On the first play from scrimmage Clear Lake sophomore Jaden O’Brien-Green broke away for a touchdown and Hunter Nielson kicked the first of three PATs for a quick 7-0 Lions lead.

Crestwood was unfazed by the score and showed their determination with a 60-yard march into the end zone. The drive was highlighted by a pair of critical fourth down conversions.  The only chink in the armor was a missed PAT which kept the Lions ahead, 7-6.

The teams traded turnovers on possessions, with Kody Kearns getting an interception for the Lions, only to see the ball given back to the Cadets on a fumbled hand off.   A pair of face mask calls against Clear Lake then helped Crestwood score again.  Wilson scored the first of his two touchdown runs from 20-yards out with 3:37 remaining in the first quarter.  This time the kick was good and the Cadets went up, 13-7.  Less than two-minutes later they added another TD, this time on a tricky reverse.  The score was 20-7 as the buzzer sounded on the first quarter.

The frenzied pace continued into the second, as quarterback Jaylen DeVries found Drew Enke on a 65-yard touchdown pass.  The Lions were back to within a score, 20-14.

The Lion defense provided an important stop and the Lions were able to knot the score at 20-20 just three-minutes into the second quarter.  Nick Danielson had two key receptions in the five play, 58-yard drive.

But the Lions didn’t get to celebrate long.  Quarterback Jon Henry made a 62-yard completion to his brother, Carter, moving the ball from their on 37 to the Lion 36.  On the next play the Cadets slipped behind the Lion secondary and Henry tossed another TD and Crestwood was back on top, 27-20.  The Lions tied the score one more time midway through the second, using a combination of the run and pass.  DeVries had runs of 17 and 13-yards and a 28-yard completion to Jack Barragy to set up a two-yard run by Alex Snelling for a touchdown.

With almost 600-yards of total offense at that point, the teams might have been ready for a break, but not before Crestwood would tack one more TD onto the scoreboard.  With less than two-minutes remaining, Wilson cut loose for a 33-yard TD to send his team into the break with a 34-27 advantage.

The pace was slower in the second half, as each team was stopped.  The Cadets reached the red zone on their first possession of the half, but the drive stalled at the 12.  The Lions struggled to move the ball and were forced to punt and in five plays the Cadets moved the score to 40-27.  Clear Lake threatened one more time, but turned the ball over on downs at the Cadet three-yard line.

DeVries was 15/28 passing for two touchdowns and 248-yards.  The junior also ran the ball five times for 17-yards.  Danielson caught seven passes for 94-yards

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and Drew Enke grabbed three passes for 84-yards to lead the Lions.  Barragy had two receptions for 41-yards.

Helped by his 44-yard TD run, O’Brien-Green was the leader for the Lion ground game.  He  finished with 83-yards on 11 carries.  Danielson and Snelling each had 12-yards on the ground, bringing the team total to 130.

Defensively, Tate Storbeck was on a mission for the Lions.  The senior made nine solo tackles and had six assists.  Jagger Schmitt was also a force with six solo and five tackle assists.  Other tackle leaders included Austin Larson and Ryan Thomas with four solo tackles apiece.  Larson also sacked the Cadet quarterback twice.  Enke and Snelling each finished with three solo and four assisted tackles.  Chase Stuver was credited with three solo and five assisted tackles.

The Lions will be looking to take out their frustration this week against Forest City (0-6, 0-2).  Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Lions Field.

Crestwood (3-3) sits atop the District 3 standings at 2-0 with New Hampton (2-4).  Clear Lake and Hampton-Dumont are each 1-1 in the district. Forest City and Iowa Falls-Alden are 0-2.

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