Spreading their offense around, the Clippers beat visiting St. James Area in the first round of the sections on Tuesday 42-20.
Five different Clippers found their way into the end zone, and Caleb Possin was perfect in his six PAT kicks.
The third-seeded Clippers travel to Wells on Saturday to take on second-seeded United South Central, which had a first-round bye.
Kale Kelley scored the first two touchdowns, the first on a 40-yard run and the second after he hauled in a Carson Lyons 7-yard pass. With a Possin PAT boot after each, the Clippers were in front 14-0 in the first quarter.
Lyons hit Bode Bartell for 10 yards and a touchdown in Q2. Possin followed up again, and the Clippers were in front 21-0.
Before the break, the Saints scored on a 1-yard run, but the Clippers blocked the point-after kick to take a 21-6 score into the locker room.
The Clippers kept on the throttle after halftime, another seven points when Lyons hooked up with Brennan Kortuem for a 14-yard touchdown pass. Possin threaded the uprights again, and the Clippers led 28-6.
SJA broke away on a 59-yard pass play for six, but the Clippers stopped the 2-point conversion and then canceled the touchdown when Lyons scored on a 2-yard keeper that, with another successful Possin kick, put the Clippers in front 35-12 in the third quarter.
Tanner Simonette got into the scoring action in the final frame when he grabbed a 16-yard Lyons pass that, with yet another on-target Possin kick, put the Clippers ahead 42-6.
The Saints followed with a 21-yard TD pass and a 2-yard PAT run for the final.
Lyons completed 15 of 24 throws for 221 yards and four TDs. He got picked off once. The Clippers also lost one fumble but recovered one SJA fumble (Kelley) and intercepted two passes (Kortuem for both).
The Clippers had 15 first downs, one more than SJA. They got penalized seven times for 55 yards. SJA, apparently frustrated by a winless season, had several personal fouls and in total were punished a dozen times for 115 yards.
Kortuem caught five passes for 59 total yards and one TD. Simonette caught two passes for 27 yards and one TD. Bartell had three catches for 29 yards and one TD. Kelley caught three passes for 57 yards and one TD. Braeden Smith had two catches for 49 yards.
Kelley took six handoffs for 13 total yards and one TD. Lyons kept the ball five times for 31 yards and one TD. Possin had six carries for 11 yards.
Possin punted twice. One he boomed for 63 yards while the other went 36 yards. Kelly returned one punt for two yards. Brennan Kortuem returned three kickoffs for a total of 21 yards, while his brother Alex Kortuem returned one kickoff for 13 yards.
Possin had five solos tackles and five assists with two tackles behind the line. Jackson Shouler had six solos and nine assists with one sack and two tackles behind the line. He also deflected one pass. Nick Simonette had one solo and one assisted tackle. Kelley had four solos and one assist, recovered one SJA fumble and deflected one pass.
Mason Kluntz had five solo tackles and one assist. Smith had two solos and a pair of assists. Brennan Kortuem had four solo tackles and three assists, two pass deflections and two interceptions. Max Esser had one solo tackle and one assist. Bartell had two solo tackles and two assists and one pass deflection. Hunter Plafcan had one solo and one assist.
Above: Mason Kluntz fights through a hold to make a tackle.
All photos courtesy of Patty Sullivan.