No one was quite sure who made the fourth-and-one stop inside Clipper territory during visiting Lester Prairie's opening drive of the second half on Friday.
Recording stats from the sideline, Travis Mons and John Kluntz couldn’t quite see through the fracas.
After the game, Tanner Simonette said it was Braeden Smith, a usual suspect. Smith remembered making a first quarter third-and-goal tackle for a 2-yard loss, but he wasn’t sure if he made that one. He thought it might have been Jackson Shouler.
Shouler said it wasn’t him but suggested it was Caleb Possin. Possin had already made his way to the locker room. Defensive coach Kyle Atherton said he would have to go back and look at the video to figure it out for sure.
But head coach Erik Hermanson explained the defense has been incredible this season because it functions as a team and not as individuals looking for the limelight.
“They are disciplined enough not to cheat and try to make big plays. They’re limiting them to a yard or 2 yards and half to pass. They are used to giving up some sacks or tackles for losses that are big plays but showy, that people think are the important thing but aren’t. Keeping everything in front of you and making a team stop is what wins games.”
Regardless of who made the tackle—one that was really made in the weight room long before the season started—with the score deadlocked at zero, it set the tone. Inspired after, the Clippers assembled the game’s first scoring drive and went on to beat the Bulldogs 21-6 on Parents’ Night.
Now 7-0, they will look to finish their regular season on Wednesday when they host Martin County West.
Clippers offense stalled until second half
With 18 first downs compared to just three by Lester Prairie, the Clippers dominated the field, but they couldn’t punch in a touchdown in the first half.
The Clippers started on their 30 after the opening kickoff. Sam Ternes grabbed a 6-yard Carson Lyons pass and with a Simonette catch and run in the offensive mix, the Clippers moved the ball to the Lester Prairie 36. But the Bulldogs, who clearly did their homework before the game, tightened up from there, and the Clippers turned the ball over on downs.
With a 14-yard pass and a 30-yard run in their onslaught, the Bulldogs took the ball to the Clipper 9, but Smith’s solo tackle dropped the QB for a 2-yard loss before Garet Peterson and Simonette teamed up for a sack, and the Clippers got the ball back on their 14.
The Clippers took what the Bulldogs gave them from there. Smith swept right for four yards and, streaking behind the blockers, grabbed a Lyons pitch for a dozen more. Possin clicked off runs of 7 yards, 4 yards and, on the first play of Q2, 5 more before catching a 4-yard pass.
After pass plays to Simonette for 4 yards, to Nathan Seeman for 5 yards and to Ternes for 7 yards, the Clippers were threatening, but the drive ended when a Lyons toss deflected into the arms of a defender, and Lester Prairie got the ball back on the Clipper 3.
“We had bad luck in that first half, but Lester Prairie is very smart,” said Hermanson. “They obviously studied everything we’ve done. They were giving us some fake coverages to give Carson a look, and then we would call the play, and they would drop back. We had to be patient and not try to go for the big play, to take what they gave us.”
But the defense held the Bulldogs to a three-and-out, and the Clippers went on the move again with a 7-yard Ternes catch, a Possin 10-yard run and a Simonette catch and run for 15 more that put his team on the LP 23. The Clippers lost 12 yards over the next four plays. A third-and-21 Simonette catch set up the Clippers a few yards from the goal line, but Lyons’ pass was incomplete, and the Clippers again came up empty.
Each team punted after, and the half ended on a Lester Prairie knee.
The Bulldogs came out fired up in the second half, and, after the opening kickoff, drove to the Clipper 29 before the pivotal fourth-and-1 stop.
“We came out a little sluggish, and they were locked in,” said Simonette, a 6-2, 190-lb tight end and linebacker, “but we started stooping them, and it was just all us.”
Hermanson said it is tough mentally to maintain a win streak, and at the same time, hoping to knock the Clippers off their pedestal, opponents are taking risks, like sending everyone after the quarterback or, like Lester Prairie, setting up for a pass defense that opens up the running game.
“Every time you win a game, and it’s 1 and 0, and 2 and 0, 3 and 0…that’s more pressure on the guys, and they’re wondering ‘do we have it again?’ So that gives them a little pressure, no matter how much they’ve talked about it or no matter how hard we worked, but they realize after playing a little bit that they can do what they want.”
From there, Smith pulled down a catch and spun for 12 yards. Simonette, continuing his breakout night, hauled in another pass for 15 more.
“Every single lineman blocked great,” said Simonette. “Carson hurt his hand, but he was still throwing dimes out there.”
Possin ran for 8 yards, and Lyons kept the ball for 8 more before handing off to Possin for a 27-yard run up the middle to the end zone.
“Coach Hermanson told us at halftime we needed to stay disciplined and keep dogfighting,” said David Draheim, a 6-2, 230-lb offensive lineman, who is often the front man during big Clipper big runs.
With the Possin PAT boot, the Clippers led 7-0 with 6:21 left in Q3.
After the Bulldogs punted, the Clippers turned the ball over on downs, and the Bulldogs punted again early in Q4, the Clippers manufactured a 70-yard campaign that featured Simonette runs of 11 and 13 yards and a Smith catch for 10 yards before it capped off with a 17-yard Possin run to the house. Possin’s PAT kick sailed between the posts, and the Clippers led 14-0 with 7:30 remaining.
Hermanson said this year the Clippers have had the luxury of an offensive line that has been the better in every game, a situation not usual for the Clippers.
“The seniors and Tanner were able to run the ball, smash it right at them. They couldn’t stop us. The whole front line: Richard (Jordan), Carsyn (Ryg), Jackson (Shouler), Mason (Kluntz) and David (Draheim) have been the difference in every game.”
The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard on the second play after the ensuing kickoff when a receiver hauled in a 20-yard pass and slipped by the Clipper defenders for a 72- catch and run to the end zone.
The Clippers snuffed the PAT run though, and, starting on their 29, cruised to the Bulldog 9 before Smith, running to the corner of the end zone, pulled down a Lyons pass for the score. With the Possin point-after kick, the Clippers led 21-6 with less than a minute remaining to bag and tag the triumph
Stats and district/section roundup
Despite playing with a throwing hand that took a hit in the first half and was swelled up for the rest of the game, Lyons completed 20 of 33 passes for 184 yards and one TD. The Bulldogs snared one of his passes.
In a breakout effort of seven catches for 89 yards, Simonette was Lyons’ favorite target. Smith hauled in six passes for 55 yards and a score. In another breakout effort, Ternes had five catches for 31 yards.
“All season, I knew I was going to get a chance to break out,” said Ternes.
Seeman caught a 5-yard pass while Possin caught a 4-yard pass.
Possin took 20 handoffs for 121 yards and two TDS. Simonette leged the ball four times for 22 yards. Lyons called his own number seven times for 30 yards.
Possin’s foot was three-for-three in bonus points.
Lyons returned two punts for a total of six yards. Wyatt Krenik returned a kickoff for 10 yards. Possin returned a kickoff for 5 yards.
With six solo tackles, one of them behind the scrimmage line, Simonette also had a good night on the other side of the ball. Smith made three solo tackles with one of them behind the line. Shouler made three solos and one assist with one tackle behind the line. Possin had three solos and one assist. He also deflected a pass. Kluntz had three solo tackles and one assist with one sack and one tackle behind the line. Peterson made two solos and five assists with three sacks and one tackle behind the scrimmage line. Ternes had one assist. Lyons had one solo and one assist with one tackle behind the line and one interception. Max Esser had one solo and one assist with one tackle behind the line. Garrett Heldberg has one solo tackle. Draheim has one assist and one tackle for a loss. Alex Kortuem made one solo tackle and one tackle assist. Seeman had one solo tackle. Owen Lloyd had one tackle assist.
Although Lyons’ puffed-up hand brought anxiety to the celebration on the field after, it ended up a soft tissue hurt only, and his mom Candace says he will be ready to play on Wednesday.
Martin County West’s only win this season was against Madelia. The Mavericks are coming off a 14-0 loss to visiting USC, a district crossover opponent. The Clippers will need a victory to win the district outright. St. James Area, 4-1 in the district, takes on Madelia on Wednesday.
In other games around the district/section, GFW rolled over visiting Madelia 62-8. St James Area beat visiting Mayer Lutheran 41-27. Also, the Clippers’ district crossover opponent Lewiston-Altura lost to host Fillmore Central 26-7.
Above: In a breakout effort, Tanner Simonette invested in 111 yards of real estate.
Wyatt Krenik confronts a defender during a kickoff return.
Jackson Shouler cages a Lester Prairie ball carrier.
The Bulldogs were threatening from the Clipper 9 in the first half, but Braeden Smith stopped the QB keeper for a loss.
Braeden Smith runs behind Mason Kluntz.
Carson Lyons launches a pass under pressure.
Caleb Possin bursts through a hole after shaking off a tackle.
The bib girls led the touchdown celebrations.
Play interrupted for a minute or two when the sprinkling system decided to celebrate the win early.
Tony Hollerich, Clara Hilfer, Austin Tarkey, Allie Anderson, Brayden Seeman, Harper Rutz, Jeremy Miller and Sierra Lotspeich pose for a photo after the game.
Before the game, players lined up with their parents for Parents’ Night.