With just one-second left on the game clock, Clear Lake’s defense successfully held the district’s leading rusher out of the end zone and secured a 35-28 victory over New Hampton in a thriller Friday night at Lions Field.
The win left the Lions in a three-way tie behind Osage in Class 2A District 3 and sends them into the post-season playoffs with a huge surge of momentum.
Clear Lake, New Hampton and Crestwood all finished the regular season with 3-2 records. Osage topped Crestwood Friday and claimed the outright district title with a perfect 5-0 record. Based on tie-breaking criteria, Crestwood finished as district runner-up, Clear Lake was third and New Hampton fourth, all at 3-2.
“I knew it would be a dog fight and our guys brought their A game. I’m proud of them,” said Head Coach Jared DeVries.
The Lions didn’t have much time to savor the win. Saturday morning it was announced they will face PCM Monroe, which finished as runner-up in District 7, in the first round of the playoffs. The game will be played at 7 p.m. in Monroe.
Coach DeVries said his teams’ final games of the season— facing Crestwood and New Hampton, have prepared them for the PCM matchup.
“They play a similar game with versatile quarterbacks and a strong run game. We are prepared for that.”
The Lions got off to a fast 21-0 start in their win over New Hampton.
Clear Lake took the opening kickoff and on four straight handoffs to Titan Schmitt the Lions were in pay dirt. A Chickasaw fumble on their own 24, recovered by Jake Trenary, set up another score less than a minute later. Quarterback Cael Stephany ran the ball in from the one. With less than a minute left in the quarter, Schmitt capped a four-play 50-yard drive with a five-yard run to the end zone.
But like every game against New Hampton, the outcome is always decided late in the game.
Braden McShane, the rushing leader in the district, began to find his footing in the second quarter. He broke away for a 27-yard run to the end zone to put his team on the board. As they have done all season, the Chickasaws opted to go for the two-point conversion and were successful, making the score 21-8.
An interception helped the Chickasaws to their second score.
The 21-14 halftime score was suddenly 21-20 after New Hampton took the second half kickoff to the end zone in nine plays. The two-point conversion failed, leaving the Lions clinging to a one-point lead.
“We were faced with adversity and we responded. We rose to the challenge,” said DeVries. “For the first time all season we had a solid four quarter effort on all sides of the ball.”
In response to New Hampton’s score, the Lions roared back. The offensive line repeatedly cleared a path for Schmitt and Stephany to move the ball. On a third and goal play Schmitt followed his blockers for another TD, putting the Lions up by eight, 28-20.
After New Hampton went 61-yards on nine plays and McShane ran the ball in for a two-point conversion the game was tied, 28-28.
It was beginning to look like the team with the final possession would win.
The Lions broke the tie with a drive that began at their 36 and took all but 34.6 seconds off the clock. Again, the line cleared the way into the end zone and Stephany scored with 49-seconds remaining. Kicker Kinnick Clabaugh split the uprights with his fifth PAT of the night, not only giving the Lions a 35-28 lead, but breaking his own school record with 22 straight extra points.
New Hampton went to its passing game in the final seconds and was able to take the ball to the Lion four-yard line, where they quickly spiked the ball with 4.4 seconds remaining. With the game on the line, the Lion defense dug in.
