by Scott Watson
On Friday, Sept. 1, the No. 8 (MaxPreps) Lions (2-0) took on the New Hampton Chickasaws (0-2) in their home opener, winning the game 48-0. The Lions compiled more than 400 yards of offense while holding their opponent to just 116 yards total.
Clear Lake charged to a 14-0 first-quarter lead before going into halftime up 35-0. The Lions cooled their heels in the second half, but added seven points in the third quarter and six more in the fourth for a 48-0 win.
“Happy to get Friday’s win, against an old rival in New Hampton. I was excited that our offense had a better run/pass balance Friday night, throwing for 222 yards and rushing for 200,” said Head Coach Aaron Stensland.
Sam Dodge got the game started by taking the opening kickoff to his 40-yard line. The Lions’ offensive line went to work moving the ball on the big Chickasaw defensive line. With first and goal on the five, a Titan Schmitt cutback run landed in the end zone for first blood. The PAT kick from Kinnick Clabaugh was good, 7-0.
A quick three-and-out put the ball back in the hands of the Lions. A big Thomas Meyer catch moved the ball into Chickasaw territory. The Lions followed that catch with a catch and run for 30 yards, courtesy of Cael Stephany to Derek Erpelding. From the 10, Schmitt took a left-side trap to the house for six. Clabaugh’s PAT kick was good.
New Hampton took the subsequent drive into Lions territory before the home team turned over on downs at their own 30 to close the first quarter, 14-0.
First play to start the second quarter, was a 40-yard bomb from Stephany to Meyer that put the Lions in position for a passing touchdown to Luke Fuhrman. The PAT kick was good, 21-0.
With the ball near the 50, an Aidan Hartl interception gave the Lions possession of the ball. A hold on the offensive line created a third and 17 situation with less than four minutes left in the half. Then a stubborn Meyer refused to go down on a five-yard pass, rolling off a defender, keeping his feet, and fighting to the end zone for a touchdown. The PAT kick was good, 28-0.
Another tough stand with big plays by the Clear Lake defense turned over the downs with less than a minute in the half. Stephany got to work, tossing a 35-yard bomb to Dodge, setting the stage for another Meyer receiving touchdown from the 20. Clabaugh’s PAT kick was good to close the half with a 35-0 lead.
The second half saw a running clock to keep the game moving. New Hampton received the kick to start the half. They got the ball to the 50 before a Dontrel Johnson strip and recovery gave the Lions a short field. Schmitt and Dodge kept the chains moving until another Stephany-Meyer connection put six more points on the board. The PAT kick was good, 42-0..
Blake Enke scored the final touchdown of the game on a five-yard sprint to start the fourth quarter. Christian Dunning’s PAT kick was blocked, and the backups were brought in for the final score, 48-0.
“Cale Stephany really had a great night and looked like himself after recovering from a broken finger. Aidan Hartl had a nice interception to lead the defense that pitched another shutout this week. Offensive line did a great job in the run game and in pass protection,” said Coach Stensland.
Stephany passed for 218 yards on 11/15 completions for four touchdowns. Jaxson McIntire also completed a pass for four yards. Meyer kept the Chickasaw defense in his rear view for much of the night with a 135 yards on six catches for three touchdowns.
Fuhrman scored a touchdown on one catch for 11 yards. Dodge had two catches for 40 yards, Erpelding had one catch for 22, Schmitt had one for 10, and Jordan Ainley had one catch for four yards.
As a team, the Lions rushed for 200 yards on 37 attempts for three touchdowns. Schmitt rushed for 101 yards on 15 carries while compiling two touchdowns. Dodge added 34 yards on four carries, and Enke rushed for 27 yards on four carries with one touchdown.
Clabaugh was nearly perfect on PAT kicks, going 6/7. With 6/7 kickoffs going for touchbacks.
Gage Larson led the Lions on defense with six tackles, three were solo, and one went for a loss. Caden Cavett had four tackles, two were solo, and two were for a loss. Dodge and Hartl had three and one-half tackles apiece, each recording two solo tackles. Hartl also had an interception. Jake Trenary had three tackles, two were solo.
Johnson had a takeaway for the second game in a row, this time recovering a fumble. Meyer had the lone sack of the game.
Clear Lake will travel to Iowa Falls (0-2) to take on the Cadets on Friday, Sept.8.
“We look forward to our next challenge at Iowa Falls Friday night,” concluded Coach Stensland.
