Nelson leads team to victory

(Above) Jett Neuberger (50) leads the way for Jagger Schmitt as he tries to break a tackle during Friday night’s gam against Forest City.  -Reporter photo by Chris Barragy

by Marianne Gasaway

Clear Lake’s Zeke Nelson became one of just 11 Iowa football players to return two kickoffs for touchdowns and lead his team to a 49-33 victory over Forest City Friday night. 

“We still have a ways to go, but we are definitely improving,” said Clear Lake Head Football Coach Jared DeVries, whose team improved to 3-0 in district play. DeVries has called his team “explosive” from the start this season and Friday night was no different.  The Lions and Indians combined for 35-points in the first quarter with big plays back and forth.  “We were able to get some traction with our special teams and our offensive line played their best game, opening holes for our running game,” said DeVries.

The running game provided Clear Lake’s first score, a 10 play, 58-yard drive that ended when Jagger Schmitt burst across the goal line for a touchdown.  The drive answered Forest City’s opening kickoff return for a touchdown and two point conversion.  The Lions attempted a two-point conversion, but were unsuccessful, leaving them on the short side of an 8-6 score.

The Indians regained the lead with a 65-yard drive for a TD.  This time the two-point try failed, putting the visitor ahead, 14-8.

Nelson scored the first of his two kickoff returns for TDs on the next possession.  The junior running back caught the ball at the Lion 22-yard line and sped past Forest City tacklers. Jagger Schmitt slipped a tackle for a successful two-point conversion which tied the game at 14-14 with barely over six-minutes played. Schmitt was Clear Lake’s leading rusher in the game.  The senior finished with 124-yards on 23 carries.

The Lions added another score, this time by quarterback Carson Toebe, before the first quarter ended.  Toebe faked a hand off and outran the Indian defense on a 51-yard scamper.  The PAT by Kinnick Clabaugh made the score 21-14.

The fast and furious scoring fizzled in the second quarter, as the defensive units began to step up.  

Clear Lake’s Tucker Jones stopped a sustained drive by the Indians when he spun a ball carrier and took him down, causing a fumble recovered by Derek Erpelding.  Forest City also stopped a Lion drive at the 35, but then Travaughn Luyobya made the first of his two interceptions in the game to swing momentum back to the Lions.  Nelson again exploded for a 70-yard run to the end zone and Clear Lake went into halftime with a 28-14 lead.

The defensive battle continued throughout most of the third period until Toebe broke away for his second score in the game. He took the ball in from the 28 to put his team up by 20-points.  The PAT was good for a 35-14 score.

With just 30-seconds left in the third quarter Forest City tacked on six points on a 65-yard drive, but their celebration was short lived.  Nelson took the ensuing kickoff at the 18 and streaked 85-yards to the opposite end zone in record-setting fashion.

Both teams added TDs to their point totals in the final quarter.  Toebe provided the final fireworks, as he broke away for a 23-yard touchdown run for the final 49-33 score.  Toebe finished with 121-yards on the ground on 10 carries.  He completed three of eight pass attempts for 58-yards.

Coach DeVries said Toebe, who has been banged up, got through the game without further injury, but two other Lions weren’t as lucky. On the  first play of the game Justin Kerr sustained a season-ending injury.  The junior broke his collarbone.  Senior Jakob Myers is out of the lineup, at least temporarily, with a severe ankle sprain. Myers had two tackles against Forest City.

The defensive unit was led by Jett Neuberger with six tackles and two assists.  Alex Brcka  and Kade Hambly each have five solo and one assist.  Erpelding and Hunter Rieck had four apiece.  Max Deike was in on several play, recording a team-high five assists.

The Lions are the only undefeated team in Class 3A District 2. The team will now become road warriors, as they travel to Crestwood (1-5, 1-2) this week and New Hampton (3-3, 2-1) on Oct. 15 for the final game of the regular season.  New Hampton suffered its first district loss Friday at the hands of Osage (3-3, 2-1).

The remaining three teams in the district, Garner-Hayfield-Ventura, Crestwood and Forest City are all 1-5 overall.  GHV and Crestwood are 1-2 in the district, while Forest City is still looking for its district win.

“We all seem to be in the same boat,” said DeVries about the parity within the district.  “We’ll just continue to work on us and I think we’ll be in a good position.”