High heat and humidity pushed Friday’s game against visiting USC back 30 minutes but didn’t seem to affect the Clippers much as they scored a TD on each of their first three possessions en route to a 39-14 triumph.
While it was the Clippers’ season opener, it was not for the Rebels—they fell at home to Blue Earth Area the Friday before, and that brought some uncertainty to the Clippers, despite their blanking the Rebels 33-0 in last year’s season opener, said head coach Erik Hermanson.
“The first-game jitters were out of the way for them. So we were afraid they were going to come out a little more experienced than us, but our seniors, who had an incredible off season and an incredible first 14 days of practice, came out and set the tone. We played full speed ahead right away.”
After the Clippers held the Rebels to zero gain in the game’s first series and a Carson Lyons punt return to the Clipper 37, QB Lyons, on the first snap, dropped back, saw a gap and dashed all the way to the end zone (above). With the Kiptyn Coon PAT kick, the Clippers led 7-0 with 9:23 left in Q1.
The Clipper defense limited the Rebels to just a yard after the kickoff return, and Lyons returned the punt to the USC 45. From there, Braeden Smith spun for five yards, and on fourth-and-7, hauled in a Lyons pass for 32 yards. Tanner Simonette took a handoff for 4 yards before Lyons ran a bootleg right 6 yards to the end zone. Coon’s PAT kick was good, and the Clippers led 14-0 with 4:29 left in Q1.
Smith was icing his ankle after the series, but the Clippers didn’t let the absence of one of their premier players slow the momentum.
“There’s been years where that would have just devastated us, and we wouldn’t have been able to play up to our potential,” Hermanson said, “but people just jumped in. Players kept getting banged up, and we kept having to put new people in, and that’s difficult when you have only 31 guys, but it shows how hard everyone practiced and took practice seriously, and I’m very proud of that.”
After the kickoff, the Clippers stopped a fourth-and-1 run and took over at their 46. Smith hauled in an 8-yard Lyons pass, and Simonette gained a yard on the ground before taking a screen pass 44 yards to the goal line. With another successful Coon kick, the Clippers led 21 to zip with 38 seconds left in the quarter.
After USC punted again, and both teams turned the ball over on downs, Tony Hollerich weaved his way 55-yards to put the Clippers on the Rebel 1. From there, Lyons hooked up with Simonette in the endzone for six more points. Coon’s kick was wide left, but the Clippers were comfortably up front 27 to zip with 5:35 left to the break.
After the kickoff, Coon batted down a third-down Rebel pass, and after a kickoff return to the USC 45 and a punt that rolled out of bounds on the Clipper 2, the Clippers fumbled on their 14. Three plays later, the Rebels scored on a 9-yard run. The Clippers stopped the PAT run for a 27-6 score with 1:53 left in the half.
But the Clippers quickly negated the touchdown.
With a block-in-the-back penalty tacked on to the kickoff return, the Clippers took over on their 9, but Lyons ran for 11 yards before hooking up with Jack Mons on the sideline for 48 more. It was the sophomore’s first varsity catch.
From the USC 48, Simonette took a Lyons pass 30 yards to the Clipper 3. The gain was reduced by up 5 yards for an aiding the runner penalty, but the Clippers scored when Lyons found Wyatt Krenik streaking across the end zone. The PAT pass fell incomplete, but the Clippers took a 33-6 advantage into the locker room.
Hollerich ran the second half kickoff to the Cleveland 40. Back in the game, Smith made a 31-yard catch and run that poised the Clippers on the USC 30. From there, Simonette rattled off a pair of 15-yard runs for the score, the latter with a second effort to cross the goal line. Coon’s PAT kick missed, but the Clippers were up 39-6.
“It was evident right away how fast Carson was, how fast Braeden was, how fast Tony was, how fast Tanner was,” Hermanson said. “The people who lifted in the offseason were out here with speed.”
Younger players got a chance to play after, and in the final quarter, the Rebels, assembling a 35-yard campaign, scored on an 18-yard run and ran in the PAT for the 39-14 final.
Lyons completed 11 of 17 passes for 222 yards and three TDs. With four catches for 74 yards and a pair of TDs, Simonette was Lyons’ favorite target.
Simonette said the home playoff loss GFW last year was on his mind every day leading up to this game and the victory finally helped wash away some of the bitter taste of that defeat.
“Now that we’re here, it encourages us to do better each game.
Lyons agreed.
“Everyone gave us reminders in practice if we are getting sloppy that it can end that quickly. It was a good reminder tonight that we have a job to finish.”
Smith caught two Lyons throws for 63 yards. Sam Ternes had two catches for 6 yards. Krenik hauled in one pass for 8 yards. Garrett Heldberg had one catch for 23 yards. Mons had one catch for 48 yards. Later in the game, Mons threw three passes but none found a receiver.
Lyons kept the ball four times for 80 yards and two scores. Hollerich ran four times for 77 yards. Simonette carried the ball six times for 41 yards and a TD. Owen Lloyd rushed six times for 32 yards. Smith had one carry for five yards.
In his first year kicking, Coon made three of five PAT attempts and airmailed the Clippers’ only punt 38 yards.
Lyons returned to punts for a total of 32 yards. Hollerich took a kickoff return 20 yards while Simonette returned one kickoff 30 yards and another 10 kickoff yards.
The Clippers made 15 first downs, 10 more than USC. The Clippers committed four penalties that cost them 60 yards while USC had four penalties for 40 yards. The humid conditions made hanging on to the ball more difficult. The Clippers fumbled three times and lost two of them while the Rebels fumbled twice and lost them both. Neither team threw an interception.
While the Clippers return seven seniors, six from last season are gone to graduation, all key players, so they had to reinvent themselves this year, Lyons said.
“We lost some size on the O line, and there are a lot of new guys. We can’t just out muscle everyone, so it is knowing what we have to do against the team we are playing. We have to be quicker and smarter.”
Early on in the game, Hermanson told the defensive players to not be a “hero,” a value that carried over from 2025, he said.
“That was our main defensive philosophy all last year, and not sticking with it is what got us in trouble in the playoffs. We have guys that are so talented and want to make the huge play, but sometimes trying to make the huge play puts you out of position, and you end up giving up a big play, so if we can just do our jobs and not try to do that extra, then our defense works, and that’s our whole setup.”
Gauge Bock made five solo tackles and five assists. Ternes had three solos and two assists with one tackle behind the line. Garet Peterson had three solos and two assists and one tackle behind the line. Jackson Shouler had four solos and four assists with two tackles behind the line. Simonette made three solos and three assists. Heldberg had one solo and three assists. Coon had three solos and five assists with three tackles behind the line and one fumble recovery. Mons had two solos and one assist. Lloyd, had one solo. Jeremy Miller, Adam Rain, Jake Mueller, Hollerich and Krenik each had one assist. Hollerich also recovered a fumble.
Overall, Hermanson was happy with the entire senior leadership, not only the from the captains (Lyons, Smith, Simonette and Shouler) but beyond.
“It started day one and it’s been so impressive. There has been years where we would have loved to have Sam (Ternes) and Garet (Peterson) as a captain, and they were out here being leaders along with the captains. Everyone falls in line.”
For the Clippers Labor Day was just that. They were back on the field for practice on Monday, despite the holiday.
“It’s game week,” Hermanson said. “We host Madelia on Friday.”
The Blackhawks are coming to town after a 38-0 loss to visiting Lakeview. Also in the district, Lewiston-Altura, which hosts the Clippers next week, suffered a 48-22 loss to Southland the week prior and then fell to visiting Blooming Prairie 44-18 on Friday. GFW lost to host Lac qui Parle Valley 32-6. St. James Area fell to visiting Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial 48-6. Mayer Lutheran beat host Sibley East 38-0. Lester Prairie lost to host Le Sueur-Henderson 34-30. Martin County West beat visiting Windom Area 60-0.
Kiptyn Coon’s leg was good for three points. Holding for him is Jack Mons.
Sam Ternes cuts around a defender after hauling in a Carson Lyons pass.
Sophomore Tony Hollerich seems to have a Garmin stuffed somewhere in his helmet. He ran north and south and east and west on this 55-yard gain.
Tanner Simonette loomed large in the victory.
Braeden Smith and company celebrate the W.
Despite the heat, the bib girls were out in full force.
High school social studies teacher Brandon Gleason said he was a little anxious about his first time announcing a game, but he quickly got into a rhythm. Beside him is scorekeeper Greg Davis.
Jess Shouler sang the “Star Spangled Banner.”
This envoy of Clipper cuteness brought announcer Brandon Gleason a bottle of water courtesy of his coworker Lisa Pope.