Above, quarterback Carter Dylla was pressured all night.
A Colin Krenik interception and fumble recovery. A Jake Anderley fumble recovery too.
A couple Fisher Knish and Tanyon Hoheisel break-through runs. Some long punts off the foot of Henry Strobel.
The Clipper highlight reel in their 34-0 defeat by visiting Mayer Lutheran on Wednesday will be a short one.
Ranked second in the state in one poll, the Crusaders, 7-1 with the win, brought 50 players, 25 more than the Clippers, as one parent pointed out…not counting Cleveland’s first two quarterbacks, Jackson Meyer and Blake Lyons, injured on the sidelines and running back Tommy Kennedy out hurt as well.
“We really would have liked to play them at full strength,” said head coach Erik Hermanson. “We were looking forward to that, but hopefully it gives us an idea what we have to do to advance anywhere in the sections. They will be one of the top teams. That sets the level of how we have to prepare for a season and how we have to lift and how we have to recruit for more numbers so we can compete.”
While mist fell part way through the first quarter, it was raining hard after halftime.
"We really would have liked to play under a little better weather conditions too,” Hermanson said. “But there is nothing you can do about that in football, and you’ve got to be ready for that.”
Starting out on their 35 after the opening kickoff, the Crusaders drove to the Clipper 12, but with Knish forcing a fumble and Krenik recovering, the Clippers kept them off the board…at least for a few minutes.
But the Crusaders, with a couple of future D1 players on the roster, still managed four touchdowns, in the first quarter for a 28-0 lead.
Krenik intercepted at the Cleveland 35 in the second quarter. It was the only Clipper catch all night.
“It was against a really good team in wet conditions, so it was hard to catch a pass,” said the senior defensive back and running back. “The guy tipped the ball, and it went right in my hands.”
It was running clock all second half. Mayer Lutheran scored again in the third quarter but missed on the PAT pass.
Anderley recovered a Mayer Lutheran fumble on the Cleveland 26 in the fourth quarter.
With a minute or so left in the game, the Clippers made a last-ditch effort for a touchdown and probably could have punched it in with a few more ticks on the clock, but they stayed away from time outs, and the game ended with the Clippers just in front of the goal line.
QB Carter Dylla faced lots of pressure and receivers were well covered. Knish hoofed the ball 20 times for 61 yards. Tanyon Hoheisel had six runs for 17 yards.
Lucas Walechka had seven tackles with one behind the line. Knish had three tackles
In other games action to note, St Clair/Loyola handed visiting Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop its second loss, 14-6. JWP walloped host Alden-Conger/Glenville Emmons 46-0. Lester Prairie beat visiting USC 14-6.
Section seeding comes out later this week, but the coaches expect the Clippers will probably travel to Lester Prairie, which with the win, will be the higher seed.
Assistant coach Larry Walechka said whoever the Clippers play in the sections, the first game is not out of reach.
“We just have to come in ready to play and play disciplined and not get down.”
Carter Barto drags down a Mayer Lutheran runner.
With protection from Jake Anderley, Carter Dylla rolls right.
Tanyon Hoheisel takes a Carter Dylla handoff.
Lucas Walechka wrestles down a Crusader runner during a rainy third quarter.
Fisher Knish on the run.