A tale of two halves for Clear Lake

Lions end strong with 39-12 win over Cowboys

For the second week in a row the Clear Lake Lions played drastically different halves of football.  And again, a strong second half broke open the game and resulted in a victory.  The Lions produced 232-yards of offense in the second half, compared to just 20 for Clarion-Goldfield-Dows, and posted a 39-12 win Friday to move to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in Class 2A District 2.

“We got physical.  The kids stepped up and played like their pants were on fire,” said Coach Fred Wieck after the game.  “It wasn’t so much halftime adjustments, as it was we just got aggressive.”

The Lions went on the road knowing they faced a challenge at Clarion.  The Cowboys’ power run game hadn’t failed them through four games; they were one of three undefeated teams in the district.

Both defenses flexed their muscle early, with each forcing three-and-outs.  But on their second possession, the Cowboys strung together a 13-play, 65-yard drive that results in a touchdown. A two-point conversion try failed, leaving the score at 6-0.

Chandler Diercks provided a quick response with a 54-yard kickoff return which started the Lions at the Cowboy 26. Five plays later Carter Garrington punched the ball in and Luke Maring’s kick was good.  The Lions had a 7-6 lead despite being out-gained, 72-34, in the first quarter.

The game continued to see-saw in the first half, as the Cowboys again drove the ball for a score and a 12-7 lead. 

The Lions put themselves back on top, 14-12, fueled by the offensive firepower of Diercks and Ernie Miszewski.   A simple screen pass from Brock Adams to Miszewski resulted in a 20-yard gain midway through the drive.  The senior then used his blockers to clear a path and broke away for a 27-yard touchdown run.

From the start of the second half it was clear a very different Clear Lake team had emerged from the locker room.  The Lions took the kickoff and scored on their first drive and never looked back.  Diercks ran the ball in for the first TD of the second half.

Miszewski got his second TD on a fourth-and-nine pass from Adams which not only bumped the lead, but made Adams the all-team leader in touchdown passes in Clear Lake football history.

Two-minutes later the Lions were in the endzone again when Diercks returned a Cowboy punt 90-yards, pushing the score to 33-12.  The Lion defense put an exclamation point on the second half dominance when Tamarik Lee recovered a fumble which put the ball back in Clear Lake’s hands as the third quarter expired.  The Lions outgunned the Cowboys 142-0 in the quarter.

It was Diercks’ turn for another score as the fourth quarter began. He caught another Adams TD pass, this time from 11-yards out on fourth down.  The 39-12 score held, as the Lions piled up 232-yards of offense to the Cowboys’ 20 in the second half.

Coach Wieck dismissed the idea that second half adjustment were the key, saying the team realized they needed to play more inspired football in the second half.   “I’m real proud of how they played.  They knew what they had to do and they did it.”

MaKean Bang was everywhere on defense for the Lions.  He recorded two solo tackles and 12 solo assists.  Other leaders in tackles included Tim Franken with three solo and three assisted tackles.  Brennen Doebel, Miszewski and Logan Wilcke all had two solo tackles and six assists.  Justin Sholly made two solo and eight tackle assists, while Zach Tatum recorded two solo and seven assists.  In addition to his six tackle assists, Tavian Coleman had one solo tackle for a loss and a solo sack.

Adams was 7/12 passing for 87-yards and a touchdown on his record night.  He also ran the ball eight times for nine-yards.

Miszewski finished the night with 127-yards rushing on 10 carries.  He also caught four passes for 57-yards.  Diercks picked up 64-yards on eight carries and had 30-yards on three receptions.  Garrington carried six times for 54-yards.  Dustin King ran the ball twice for 17-yards and had an interception.

The Lions step outside of Class 2A this week to take on Waverly-Shell Rock.  The Class 3A Hawks are 4-1 overall.