Since 2019, the first year Cleveland returned to 11-man, no team has dominated the Clippers quite like Mayer Lutheran.
In a snowstorm that year, the host Crusaders schooled the Clippers 54-0. A year later, back in Cleveland, Mayer won 43-6. In 2021, the score was visiting Crusaders 34, Cleveland 0. In Mayer in 2022, it was a 35-15 Crusader triumph, and last year, although the Clippers played relatively well, they lost at home 40-14 to the fourth-ranked Crusaders.
But on Friday, the proverbial shoe—or cleat rather—was on the other foot when the Clippers walloped the host Crusaders 42-6.
“There’s no better feeling,” said senior running back Kale Kelley (above), who was a speed demon and a thorn in the Crusader’s side all night. “I’m super proud because we’ve had some struggles the last couple of years with Mayer Lutheran, but it was a team effort. Speed was a big part of our game, Brennan (Kortuem), Carson (Lyons) and I, everyone ran fast.”
“It’s more experience with all the runners,” explained head coach Erik Hermanson. “Kale has been a receiver all his life and had to be a running back this year to fill a spot, and he is getting a lot more feel now for the holes, and just the offense clicking together and running it and running it.”
Scoring and more scoring
The Crusaders, who came into the contest still looking for a win this year, went three and out after the opening kickoff. With the Clippers taking over on their 30, Kelley rattled off a couple of runs, and the Clippers picked up 5 yards on an offside penalty before quarterback Lyons threw to wide receiver Kortuem. “BK” had it his way with a 59 catch and run to the house. With the Caleb Possin PAT kick through the uprights, the Clippers were off to the races early in Q1.
Hermanson said Lyons knows what everyone does on every play, especially since he has staffed many of the running and receiving positions, but he is still adjusting to being the play caller after he had to step in for his injured brother Blake Lyons last week.
“He knows the offense inside and out. It’s getting him relaxed and confident and all the little nuances, and the only way you can get them is from playing.”
The Crusaders were moving the ball well after the following kickoff, and, with four first downs, they were perched at the Cleveland 25. But lineman David Draheim pressured the quarterback, forcing an incomplete pass. After the Crusaders picked up 2 yards on the ground, Lyons put a dagger in the drive when he stepped in front of a fourth-and-5 pass and took it 31 yards to near midfield.
From there, Kelley had runs of 12 and 11 yards, and Possin rumbled for 13 more. A couple of plays later, it looked like Kelley scampered in for the score, but the play got called back due to facemask infraction.
A false start penalty after the next snap shoved the Clippers back to the Mayer 33, but the they were back in business when Lyons coupled with Kelley for 8 yards before throwing to Braeden Smith, who weaved his way for a 25-yard TD catch and run. With the Possin kick, the Clippers were up 14-0 at the 10:37 mark in the second quarter.
“It was a great week of practice, and everything we did in practice, we did in the game tonight,” Hermanson said. “We had guys who put in the work and lifted weights, and all those guys were stars on the field.”
Back at their 30 again after the ensuing kickoff, things went from bad to worse for the Crusaders when a false start penalty cost them 5 yards before Lyons snared a pass and returned it 3 yards to the Mayer 26.
After Kelley burst for 5 yards, the Crusaders sacked Lyons for a 10-yard loss. But back to pass, Lyons saw a gaping hole, exploded through and juked a defender or two for a 30-yard TD run.
“I was going to hit the backside jag, with Brennan coming across the middle, and then I saw a huge hole open up, and I just took it. It was free grass.”
With the Possin kick, the Clippers led 21-zip with 8 minutes to the break.
Digging in, the Clipper defense forced another three-and-out and didn’t waste any time scoring again, this time starting out on their 40.
Carson threw to Bode Bartell for 21 yards before the Clippers went to the razzle-dazzle with a Lyons pass to Kortuem that he flipped back to Kelley, who ran for a 13-yard gainer. Lyons picked Tanner Simonette for his next target, and, with older brother Nick Simonette in front blocking, the sophomore tight end ran the pass across the goal line. The Possin kick put the Clippers up comfortably 28-0 five minutes before the break.
Taking the ball to the Clipper 4, the Crusaders threatened to score late in the quarter, but Tanner Simonette stopped the quarterback sweep to put a halt to the uprising. The half ended when the Clippers took a knee.
BK took the second-half kickoff 59 yards to the Mayer 28. Kelley ran for 2 yards and Possin for a dozen before Tanner Simonette threw an 11-yard pass to Kortuem after a reverse. The Possin kick put the Clippers in front 35-0.
The Clippers’ final touchdown came Kortuem picked off a Crusader pass and returned it 17 yards. Possin rushed the ball for 9 yards, and Sam Ternes plunged for three more before Kelley rushed the final 3 yards for the TD. Possin’s kick put the Clippers in front 42-0 with 8:12 left in the third quarter.
With the younger players in, Mayer scored on a 14-yard run with 38 seconds left in the game. Carsyn Ryg, a 225-lb freshman, stopped the PAT run.
Stats
Since the offensive line usually controls a game’s outcome but doesn’t appear in the stats, its members were the usual unsung heros, Hermanson said.
“We ran behind Nick and Mason (Kluntz), and it didn’t matter if Kale was in or Caleb or Sam at the end, all great running. Mayer was sending six or seven guys (to fill in the gap) every play, but we were still able to hit the hole because of those guys doing their job, thanks to Noah (Hermel), Mason and Nick, we were just running right…and of course David and AJ (Alex Johnson). The whole line was incredible.”
But Hermanson also pointed to the play of junior running back and kicker Possin, who led the team in rushing with 68 yards in 10 carries and wrestled two solo tackles and six assists as well. Besides that, he was perfect in his six PAT boots.
Lyons completed seven of nine passes for 156 yards and three TDs. His favorite receiver was Kortuem, who caught three passes for 83 yards and a pair of TDs. Tanner Simonette hauled in one pass for 26 yards and a TD. Bode Bartell grabbed one pass for 21 yards. Smith had one catch for 25 yards and a TD. Kelley had two catches for a dozen yards. Alex Kortuem caught one pass for 1 yard.
Ternes completed his one pass attempt for a yard, and Tanner Simonette completed his one throw for 11 yards.
Cleveland’s one punt, by Possin, was good for 39 yards. Brennan Kortuem took the second-half kickoff 58 yards. Freshman Harry Fuller fell on the Crusader’s squib kick after their touchdown.
Kelley took eight handoffs for 38 yards and one TD. He said he was playing for Blake Lyons, who made it to the game just a little over a day after he completed a six-hour surgery.
Lyons hung on to the ball just one time, but he got 30 yards on the play and a TD as well. Ternes ran the ball four times for 16 yards, and Kiptyn Coon took his one handoff nine yards.
Jackson Shouler corralled five solo tackles and seven assists. Lyons had five solos and three assists and also deflected two passes and intercepted twice. Garet “Frank” Peterson had four solos and two assists with two tackles in the Crusader backfield. Nick Simonette had three solos and four assists. Kelley had two solos and two assists and deflected two passes. Smith had two solos and two assists as did Kluntz and Tanner Simonette. Draheim had one solo and two assists. Coon had one solo and one assist. Wyatt Krenik and Ternes each had one solo tackles. Garrett Heldberg had one solo tackle, which was behind the scrimmage line. Brennan Kortuem picked off a pass.
This week and district roundup
The Clippers, now 3-1, will have a much greater challenge for their hoco game on Friday when they take on Randolph. The Rockets are coming off their first loss: 42-32 to visiting NYA.
Last year, the Rockets went in front 7-0 after a 69-yard run on the second play after the opening kickoff. Despite playing in the shadow of their goalposts, the Clippers didn’t allow another touchdown in the first half but eventually fell 21-6.
“We will be playing against a team that’s really big,” Hermanson said. “It will be the sprinters against the shot putters again.”
Also around the district on Friday, Medford lost to visiting USC 46-6, WEM beat visiting JWP 47-15, GFW lost to host Lester Prairie 29-12, and NRHEG blanked host St. Clair/Loyola 34-0.
