When the news hit the Cleveland varsity football players on Monday that Blake Lyons’ injury, suffered early in Waterville 18, Cleveland 13 the Friday before, would end the senior quarterback's season, the Clippers needed to choose whether to take a knee or continue with a promising campaign that began in the weight room way last November.
Their gloom was understandable. After all, Lyons, a team captain, had a monster first game when the Clippers downed Medford. Had he not injured his knee and been able to play defense, the outcome at Waterville likely would have been different.
“It’s just so frustrating when your key player works so hard and doesn’t get to play,” said head coach Erik Hermanson. “And the whole town feels it when it is someone with the character and aura like Blake. He’s who every player aspires to be. You could tell we were down, but every day at practice it got a little better, a little more confident just putting in the work and knowing that we could do everything we have been doing. We just had to move some pieces around.”
Hermanson and company’s plan worked. The host Clippers got back on their feet and beat rival Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 27-7 on Friday.
“We had to go out and win one for him,” said friend and teammate Brennan Kortuem, who had benefited from a pair of Lyons touchdown passes, one in each of the Clippers’ first two games, in his first year as a Clipper. “Blake played the whole last game with a torn ACL. He’s worked harder than anyone here, and you hate to see him go out, so we just hope we can win as many games as we can…for him.”
Replacement strategy
The Clippers needed to pick who was going to replace Lyons not only at QB but also at middle linebacker, a position that he contributed much with his strength and ability to read a play. There were several options, but Hermanson and staff penciled in Lyons’ sophomore brother Carson Lyons at QB and Lyons' classmate Jackson Shouler at middle.
Although the last two years, he was on the other end of a pass, Carson Lyons isn’t new at quarterback. As a seventh grader, he led his team to an undefeated season. A year later, he played a couple of games as JV quarterback before moving up to varsity.
“It’s a big difference between receiving and throwing passes,” said the younger Lyons. “But we’ll make do with what we’ve got. We know Blake won’t come back this year, but we have to put it behind us. We’re all down, but we have to put our heads up and keep going.”
“Carson has always been getting in reps,” Hermanson said. “If we slide everyone around, that’s just moving a bunch of people, but what we did is we put people in for different situations. If it was a play where Blake would have run it at quarterback, Kale was in at quarterback. Carson obviously picked up the slack throwing the ball, and you could tell the other seniors really picked up their game.”
Prior to Friday, Shouler didn’t start on varsity defense. To prep, he studied film every night leading up to the game, analyzing not only JWP’s offense but how Lyons played middle linebacker, said dad Matt Shouler.
“If someone needed to make tackles on defense, Jackson Shouler was in,” Hermanson said. ”It was baptism by fire, but he did great.”
Good teams, good things
Kortuem intercepted to stop the game’s opening drive, but the Clippers didn’t capitalize and turned the ball over on downs on the JWP 32.
The Bulldogs picked up a first down on the ensuing series, but the Clipper defense forced a punt from there, and the Clippers took over on their 17.
Kale Kelley had a 15-yard ground gainer before Lyons connected with Kortuem behind the scrimmage line. The senior outran his defender for a 65-yard touchdown. With the Caleb Possin PAT boot, the Clippers were in front 7-0 with 4:38 left in the first quarter.
“Knowing we have the players around us felt great,” said Carson Lyons. “It makes a lot less pressure for me if everyone is supporting us.”
It was the only score in the first half.
The Clippers went three-and-out after receiving the second-half kickoff. The Bulldogs were forced to punt too, but Braeden Smith blocked it. As Lyons made his way for the recovery, the ball bounced into his hands, and he ran it 32 yards for the touchdown. With Possin’s PAT kick the Clippers were in front 14-0.
Later in the third quarter, the Bulldogs completed a 60-yard catch and run that put them on the Clipper 14. Lyons prevented the touchdown. Two plays later, with Lyons on the sidelines treating a small cut, the Bulldogs completed a 14-yard pass for the score. With the PAT kick, the Bulldogs were back in business, only trailing by 7 with 1:18 left in Q3.
But bouncing off defenders, Kortuem returned the kickoff 71 yards to the JWP 20. From there, Kelley burst for 5 yards and ran left on the next play for a 15-yard TD. Possin’s PAT kick ricocheted off the upright, but the Clippers had some wiggle room with a 20-7 advantage.
Trying to get back in the game early in Q4, JWP got a good start after the ensuing kickoff with a 13-yard run. Later, on a fourth-and-4 quarterback keeper, they picked up another first by an inch or two. But four plays after, Possin put a dagger in the drive when he snared a fourth-and-5 pass and returned it 40 yards to the JWP 25.
From there, Lyons tossed to Kortuem, who, heavily defended, was tight-roping down the left sideline. The Clippers’ X factor somehow came up with the catch while going on his knees for a 23-yard gain that took the ball to the JWP 2.
“Carson threw it in the perfect spot,” said the senior wide receiver. “It’s my job to catch it.”
With the Clippers perched near the goal line, Lyons threw a jump ball deep into the end zone that Tanner Simonette somehow was able to squeeze. The Possin PAT kick made for the 27-7 final.
Team over stats
Blake Lyons didn’t give his younger sibling any specific advice but recommended not to get too wrapped up in his new role.
“I told him ‘Keep your head up and don’t be nervous. You have to have fun out there.’”
His brother’s words of wisdom must have helped as Lyons completed 11 of 19 pass attempts for 125 yards and a pair of TDs while keeping the ball away from the hands of the Bulldog defense.
Kortuem grasped four catches for 103 yards and a TD. Simonette hugged two catches for 5 yards and a TD. Bode Bartell clutched one catch for 16 yards. Kelley grabbed four passes but only got a yard out of them.
The Clippers rushed for 91 yards. With 14 carries for 68 yards, Kelley had most of the ground duties. Lyons kept the ball once for a 5-yard gain. Possin took eight handoffs for a total of 18 yards.
Possin booted all five of the Clipper punts and airmailed three of four PAT kicks over the crossbar.
A certified weapon, Kortuem returned the two JWP kickoffs: 31 yards to start the second half and then 71 yards after the Bulldog’s only TD.
“Larry Walechka is coach of our special teams,” Hermanson said, “and we talked about putting some of our skilled players in, like BK (Brennan Kortuem) and Carson and Kale who hadn’t been on that, and we had some big kick returns, and that really set the tone.”
The Clipper defense worked in concert, wreaking havoc in the JWP backfield. Kortuem wrestled seven solo tackles and snatched one interception. Lyons corralled three solo tackles and seven assists and picked off one JWP throw. Kelley bagged five solos and eight assists. David Draheim had three assists. Possin had three solos and five assists and reeled in one Bulldog pass.
Max Esser had two solo tackles. Tanner Simonette had one solo and six assists and one sack. Smith had four solos and three assists. Kiptyn Coon made one solo tackle. Shouler had one solo and three assists. Bartell made three solos and two assists. Nick Simonette had one solo and two assists. Mason Kluntz had one solo tackle and four assists. Garrett Heldberg made one solo tackle.
“I think it’s not about stats anymore,” Hermanson said. “It’s all about the team and getting that victory.”
The Clippers won just one game in 2023, Medford, and in 2022, Wabasha-Kellog. In 2021, their three wins were against Wabasha-Kellog, JWP and Alden-Conger. In 2020, their two wins were over JWP and WEM. In 2019, their lone win was over Alden-Conger.
A complete and sublime example of a Clipper, Blake Lyons will be on the sideline as a team leader, Hermanson said.
“He’s still here with us. He just has to heal that leg.”
“There’s nothing I’d rather do than play with the guys, but what do you do,” Lyons said. “If I see something that can help, I will let them know, and I will just do everything I can to get a win.”
The Clippers play host Mayer Lutheran this Friday. The Crusaders are coming off a 38-15 loss to host NRHEG and are still looking for their first 2024 victory.
Elsewhere in the district, Lester Prairie beat visiting WEM 26-20 in three overtimes, GFW beat visiting Medford 50-19, NYA topped host USC 33-0, Randolph beat host St. Clair/Loyola 52-14.
Above: Braeden Smith and the rest of the Clippers celebrate the victory.
