CL keeps play-off hopes alive

(Above) Lion Pile!  A bunch of Lions got in on this tackle. Pictured for Clear Lake is Max McKenna (77), Jared Penning (68), Dalton Grell (3), Ryan Atkinson (7), Joey Monson (63) and Torian Lee (4). Coach DeVries praised the play of his O and D lines-Reporter photos by Chris Barragy

The Clear Lake Lions (3-4, 3-2) kept their play-off hopes alive with a critical 39-15 victory over Clarion-Goldfield-Dows/CAL (4-3, 2-3) Friday night on the road.  It was the Lions’ third win in their past four outings and the second one in which the offense produced more than 30 points.

And while the offense was productive, it was the Clear Lake defense which kept an explosive Cowboy offense off of the field.

“Hat’s off to the O and D-lines,” said Head Coach Jared DeVries after the game.  “Our backs were running hard and all of the kids were making plays and showing we still believe.”

The Cowboys set the Lions back on their heels at the start of the game, as they grabbed the opening kickoff and quickly rattled off three first downs in three plays and moved the ball past mid-field.   Five plays later, quarterback Kainan Braun, the district leader with 1,436 yards of total offense (768-yards rushing, 668 passing) had his team knocking on the door to the end zone.  But thanks to a solid stop on fourth down at the 22, led by Sean Wendel, the Lions got the ball back and began to push the other direction.  They took the ball all the way to the six before time ran out in the first quarter.

Two plays later, quarterback Thomas Storbeck connected with Drew Enke for the first of four catches on the night and a Lion touchdown.  Enke also reeled in a two-point conversion pass to give the Lions an 8-0 lead.  Storbeck was on target throughout out the game, connecting on 12 of 16 pass attempts for 147-yards and two TDs.  The senior quarterback also ran 13 times for 48-yards.

The Lion defense delivered another blow to the Cowboys when they recovered a fumble on the next series.  Dalton Grell jumped on the loose ball to give his team the ball at their own 35.  After Storbeck was briefly sidelined with an ankle injury and freshman Jaylen DeVries made his varsity debut, Storbeck returned to his post and immediately found Enke for another crucial catch on third down.  Kyle Calaguas bounced off a gang of Cowboys at the 31 and found running room on the sideline.  He raced to the end zone to put the Lions ahead, 14-0 midway through the second quarter.  Calaguas finished with 76-yards on 19 carries in the game.

Another fumble, this time recovered by Torian Lee, gave the Lions a short field to work with.   Speed Toyne started to hit his stride in the third Lion drive.  He was a big part of the five-play, 27-yard drive.  Toyne took the ball in from the three to make the score 20-0.  Aaron Canchola nailed his first PAT to lift the Lions, 21-0.

The Cowboys got on the scoreboard in the final minute of the first half on a 10-play, 61-yard drive.  The PAT was good for a 21-7 halftime score.

Toyne picked up where he left off after the break.  He scored his second TD on the Lions’ opening drive, 27-7.  Toyne finished the night with a team-high 96-yards. He also had one catch for 10-yards.

The Lions kept the pressure on, thanks to special teams play on the ensuing kickoff.  Another Lion fumble recovery, this time by Alex Snelling, gave Clear Lake the ball at the Cowboy 30.  An eight-yard pass from Storbeck to Enke provided points, 33-7.  The Lion offense dominated the start of the second half, maintaining possession for the first nine-minutes and outgaining the Cowboys 298 to 165 through three quarters.

The Cowboys strung together one successful drive in the second half, a 77-yard march and two-point conversion to put the score at 33-15.  However Clear Lake defense stomped out any glimmer of hope the home team had of a late rally by adding another score on an 11-yard pass from Storbeck to Zach Lester, 39-15.

The Cowboys shot themselves in the foot for the final time when they committed their fourth fumble on the Lion kickoff.  After Clear Lake turned the ball over on downs with just over two-minutes to go, the Lion defense again rose up.  Fittingly, the Cowboys’ final play ended with a sack by Clear Lake’s Joey Monson.  Monson had five solo tackles and two assists in the game.  Zach Lester also had five solos to lead the Lions.  Cody Matz and Sean Wendel each had four.

The Lions will continue their quest to return to the playoffs Friday night when they host District 2A leader Crestwood (5-2, 5-0).  Varsity kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.