Cleveland 34, host Lewiston-Altura 7 on Thursday was nothing overly flashy
Heck, even Braeden Smith—nine catches for 66 yards and three touchdowns—traded in the pair of bling covered cleats he wore in the first two Clipper victories for a slightly more subdued pair.
Instead, the Clippers took what the 0-3 Cardinals, a district crossover, gave them, and those who invested in $4.50-a-gallon gas to make the 250-mile round trip, the Clippers’ first to Lewiston, were treated to a well-played football game.
“We do not have to have five 50-yard touchdowns,” explained head coach Erik Hermanson. We will take what they give us. If they’re going to let us have Tanner (Simonette) run 8-yards a clip, we’re going to do it. We don’t have to worry about stats. We’re just trying to get a win.”
After a scoreless first dozen minutes, and the Clippers marching all the way to the L-A 18 before turning the ball over on an interception, they posted three touchdowns in the second quarter.
The first one came when Smith hauled in a 3-yard Lyons pass to finish a 59-yard campaign that featured an 11-yard Sam Ternes catch and three Garrett Heldberg catches. Kiptyn Coon’s PAT kick, with Jack Mons holding for him, added another point.
After the ensuing kickoff, Ternes picked off the first of four interceptions the Clippers would have. On the first play after the pick, Lyons connected with Wyatt Krenik for 43 yards before Simonette crossed the goal line from a dozen yards out. With the Coon boot, the Clippers were in front 14-0.
With 1:13 left until the break, Tony Hollerich intercepted a pass to poise the Clippers on the L-A 43 After another big Krenik catch, this one for 31 yards, Smith pulled down a 15-yard Lyons pass. Lyons kept the ball for the final 3 yards. The Coon addon put the Clippers in front 21-0.
Gauge Bock returned the second-half kickoff 16 yards to the Clipper 35. Simonette made four first-down gains, twice running and twice receiving before Lyons, taking the snap from the LA-6, found Smith all alone for the TD. With the Coon kick, the Clippers were up comfortably 28-0.
The Cardinals went three-and-out after the kickoff, and the Clippers, starting from the L-A 45, waltzed the rest of the way down field, and another Lyons-Smith connection, this time for 7 yards, was their final touchdown. Coon’s kick bounced back off the upright, but the Clippers were in front 34-0 with 3:21 left in Q3.
With 3:43 left in the fourth frame, the Cardinals manage to prevent a homecoming shutout when they capped off a 41-yard drive with a 2-yard run across the goal line. Their PAT kick made for the 34-7 final.
The Clippers picked up 17 first downs, seven more than the Cardinals. They were flagged three times for 15 yards compared to nine penalties for 85 yards for the Cardinals.
Lyons completed 19 of 25 throws for 195 yards and Smith’s three scores. Mons’s single pass was caught, but it lost a yard.
Overall, the Clippers did well picking up L-A’s blitz up the middle, Simonette said.
“They started sending six guys at a time, but we figured it out, and it was good.”
“When you’re a desperate team like that—they haven’t won yet—they’re were going to go all out to try to beat us,” Hermanson said. “It’s their homecoming, and they’re going to send everybody, they’re going to gamble, and a couple of times they go home on it and a couple of times we burned them on it.”
Krenik caught a pair of Lyons passes for a total of 66 yards. Ternes hauled in a pair of tosses for 14 yards. Heldberg had three catches for 19 yards.
“Garrett always plays tough and doesn’t say anything,” Hermanson said.
Simonette grabbed three catches for 31 yards. The Cardinals corralled Pierce Lyons right away after he caught a ball a yard behind the line of scrimmage.
Taking a dozen handoffs and weaving through traffic for a total of 96 yards, Simonette had a solid night on the ground as well as in the air.
“Tanner ran the ball tonight like he has not before,” Hermanson said. “He showed the things we’re working on in practice with his cuts, with his vision, with his setting up blocks. He’s just getting better every week, and he’s never been a running back really until halfway through last year when (Caleb) Possin got banged up and he had to come in. This year he’s our feature guy.”
“The line blocked great,” Simonette said.
Hollerich legged the ball six times for 44 yards. Lyons hung on to five snaps for 26 yards and one TD. Bock carried the ball three times for 10 yards.
In six point-after-TD kicks, Coon’s leg amassed five points. Coon also punted once, and it traveled 36 yards. Lyons returned one punt and gained 6 yards. Bock ran back one kickoff for 16 yards, and Jake Mueller ran one back for 7 yards.
As usual, the Clippers played team defense. Jack Shouler led the effort with five solos and one assist.
“He was banged up the whole game, and he toughed it out,” Hermanson said, “and especially we needed him for long snaps, and our shotgun snaps are critical. That’s just being a captain.”
Ternes made one solo tackle and had one tackle assist with one tackle behind the line. He also intercepted two passes. Garet Peterson made one solo tackle and two assists. Lyons had five solos and three assists, deflected one pass and intercepted another. Coon had six solos and one assist with one tackle behind the scrimmage line. Mons had two assists. Carsyn Ryg had one assist. Simonette had three solos and five assists. Jeremy Miller had one assist. Krenik had three solos. Adam Rain had one solo and one assist with one tackle behind the line. Hollerich had one solo and one assist with one tackle behind the line. He also intercepted a pass. Mueller had two solos and one assist. Austin Tarkey had one solo tackle.
Like many games around Southern Minnesota, the game was played on Thursday because of the heavy rains predicted for Friday.
This Friday, the Clippers host Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop, the team that upset them in their first game of playoffs last year. But the Firebirds haven’t won a game since then. After a 42-8 road loss to Mayer Lutheran last Thursday, they have suffered an 0-3 start.
Elsewhere in the district, St James Area beat visiting Lester Prairie 20-6, and Martin County West topped host Madelia 60-16.
USC, the Clipper’s other district crossover opponent this year, lost to host Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 44-22.
Above: Adam Rain and Sam Ternes wrap up a Lewiston-Altura runner while Garet Peterson goes for the ball.
Quarterback Carson Lyons sidesteps an L-A defender.
Sam Ternes swings out of the way of a Cardinal tackler.
Garrett Heldberg is brought down by a Cardinal defender after hauling in a pass.
Tanner Simonette is upping his running skills every game, said head coach Erik Hermanson.
Kiptyn Coon contributed five points to the W.
Gauge Bock returns a kickoff.
Tony Hollerich sprints away from a Cardinal defender.