Crammed tightly between two big district games, against undefeated Mayer Lutheran last Friday and against host Martin County West—whose only loss was to Mayer Lutheran— this Tuesday, the Clippers’ game plan for host Lester Prairie on Wednesday was a question mark.
Over the years, the Bulldogs have had their way with the Clippers, beating them decisively, sometimes twice in a season, until 2024, when the Clippers eked out a 22-20 victory.
This season, 2-4 coming into Wednesday’s matchup, the Bulldogs have been struggling to find their sea legs after losing a core group of 11 seniors that took them to the 2025 state tournament. Would the Clippers experiment with new plays or formations, or would they keep their cards close to their shoulder pads? Would they give injured players a chance to rest, or would they go all out?
But for head coach Erik Hermanson, choosing a strategy was a no brainer.
“We know Lester Prairie historically gets better every week through the whole season. Who knows, by the end of the season, they may go farther than people think. They have a great coach, so we took them very seriously, and we knew it would take another great Cleveland effort.”
The Clippers delivered with a decisive 37-0 triumph.
Clippers score in their first two possessions
The Clippers scored right out of the gate. From their 32 after the kickoff, Tanner Simonette rattled off runs of 5 and a dozen yards. Carson Lyons connected with Braeden Smith for 30 yards before Simonette handoffs for 11, 4 and 3 yards to set up the Clippers on the Lester Prairie 2.
From there, Lyons rolled right for the touchdown. Kiptyn Coon’s PAT kick was good, and the Clippers led 7-0 four minutes into the first quarter.
Although just a sophomore, Lester Prairie's quarterback was elusive and on target too. The Bulldogs managed a first down on their ensuing possession but ultimately punted, and the Clipper got the ball back on their 25, where the Clipper offense quickly got back to work.
Simonette broke through for 9 yards, and Tony Hollerich found an opening for 13 more. Smith grabbed a Lyons toss for another 14 yards that put the Clipper on the home team’s 39. Later, after a 20-yard ground gainer from Simonette, Lyons ran 16 yards to the goal. Coon’s PAT kick missed, but the Clippers were in front 13-0 as the first quarter drew to a close.
The Bulldogs punted twice and the Clippers once to start Q2. With the Clipper taking over on their 25, a Simonette run on the first play was a 24-yard gainer. Three plays later, Lyons found Smith streaking down the 25-yard line. Smith ran the rest of the way for a 47-yard touchdown. The PAT pass fell incomplete.
The Bulldogs ran 13 plays in the following drive, but after reaching the Clipper 23, their campaign ended when Adam Rain sacked the quarterback for the second time in the series, and the Clippers maintained a 19-0 lead at halftime.
“Coming off that confidence that we got last week (after the win over Mayer Lutheran), you could see the defense out there talking even more than ever, just more confident in what they were doing, and that helped us play our game tonight,” Hermanson said. “We didn’t have to do anything special. We just had to do what we do.”
Clippers add three TDs in Q3
With the Bulldogs working their way close to midfield after receiving the second-half kickoff, Garrett Heldberg forced a fumble, and Coon recovered it at the Lester Prairie 27. After an 11-yard Simonette run, the Clippers were in the end zone again, this time when Lyons, directing traffic, found Smith for an 18-yard touchdown pass. The Bulldogs stopped the 2-point conversion, but the Clippers led 25-0 with 8:18 left in Q 3.
A Lyons interception on the Clipper 30 ended the Bulldogs’ next drive. From there, Tony Hollerich ran for a dozen yards, Heldberg caught an 11-yard pass, and Wyatt Krenik totaled 39 yards on a catch and run that set up the Clippers on the Lester Prairie 2, where Simonette took a handoff for the score. Again, the Bulldogs stopped the 2-point conversion.
After a Bulldog punt, the Clippers scored again in the third quarter. A 32-yard Hollerich run set up an 11-yard Simonette dash across the goal line. Coon’s PAT kick missed, but the Clippers were up 37 to zip with 51 seconds until the running time and scoreless final frame.
Stats and district results
The Clipper picked up 14 first downs, five more than the Bulldogs. They were penalized five times for 25 yards while the Bulldogs committed four infractions for 40 total yards of setback. The Bulldogs turned the ball over twice, once on an interception and once on a fumble. The Clippers didn’t have any turnovers.
Lyons completed 10 of 18 passes for 198 yards and a pair of TDs. Smith caught five of his passes for 114 yards and 12 points. Hollerich pulled down three passes for 25 yards. Heldberg caught one pass for 11 yards, and Simonette caught one for 9 yards.
Simonette had another 100-yard day on the ground, 101 yards to be precise in 15 carries. Two of his runs were into the end zone. Hollerich rushed five times for 60 yards. Owen Lloyd ran Jack Mons handoffs six times for 30 yards. Lyons kept the ball on three occasions and picked up 19 yards with them. Gauge Bock carried twice for 4 total yards.
Coon made one of three extra points. His one punt flew 51 yards. Lyons returned one Lester Prairie punt and gained 10 yards on it. Simonette took the second half kickoff 15 yards.
With three solo tackles and three assisted tackles, Jackson Shouler led the defense. Sam Ternes made three solos and two assists with a pair of tackles behind the scrimmage line. Garet Peterson had two solos and one assist and one behind-the-line tackle. Lyons made four solo tackles and also picked off a Bulldog pass and deflected two more. Simonette made two solos and three assists. Heldberg had three solos with one sack and one behind-the-line tackle. He forced a fumble. Coon had two solos and two assists and recovered a Bulldog fumble. Carsyn Ryg collected one solo and one assist. Rain had two solos and two assists with a pair of sacks. Hollerich made two solo tackles. Smith had one solo tackle and one assist with one tackle behind the line. He also knocked down two Lester Prairie passes. Peirce Lyons assisted a tackle as did Bock. Lloyd made two solo tackles and assisted another.
Martin County West, who fell 41-14 to Mayer Lutheran, will be coming off a 56-0 win over host USC. They have shut out all but two teams this season. In other Mid-South Gold District action, Mayer Lutheran beat visiting St. James Area 42-19. GFW beat host Madelia 20-14.
The Clippers didn’t waste time preparing for Martin County West. They were back in practice on Thursday before a couple days off and another practice on Sunday.
The game will be played in Trimont.
Above: Adam Rain chases after an evasive Bulldog quarterback. Rain got to him twice for sacks.
Garrett Heldberg and Carsyn Ryg open a big gap for Tanner Simonette.
Carson Lyons rolls right for a pass.
Braeden Smith caught this pass for a second quarter touchdown.
Urijah Hoheisel and Owen Lloyd foot race the LP quarterback.
Braeden Smith pulled in this pass, turned up field and ran a couple of yards across the goal line for a 16-yard catch-and-run touchdown.
Garrett Heldberg goes hand-to-hand with a Lester Prairie running back.
Carson Lyons takes a shotgun snap.
Tony Hollerich greets a Bulldog defender during a long run.
Owen Lloyd on the carry in Q4.
“You can’t go undefeated unless you win game seven,” said coach Erik Hermanson after the game. That statement, which has progressed every game since game one, has been the starting point to the Clippers’ post-game celebrations. With Hermanson are coaches Kyle Atherton and Larry Walechka.
The bib girls kept warm with some calisthenics after each of the six Clipper touchdowns.