Cloverdale racks up 492 rushing yards in dominant performance
Every football season sees its share of lopsided games, but few will forget the epic, 72-0 blowout that took place at John Allen Memorial Field on Oct. 15.
The Eagles played host to Kelseyville in what many thought would be a competitive varsity game, but things unraveled for the unsuspecting Knights shortly after kickoff.
The visitors had no answer for the Cloverdale running game, with the Eagles racking up a season best 492 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Cloverdale defensive unit was just as dominant, yielding just 67 total yards in what amounted to a stifling performance.
When the dust cleared, the Eagles (4-2, 2-2) had claimed their fourth win of the campaign, snapping a two-game losing skid in the process.
“All the credit to our players for responding to some adversity after two losses in a row,” CHS head coach Greg Alexander said later. “Throughout practice all week we focused on getting back to fundamentals and focusing on the little things. We had a great week of practice and were able to execute on Friday night.”
The Eagles will quickly put this one in the rear view mirror and focus on the next challenge — a Friday, Oct. 22 visit to perennial league power, Middletown. The Mustangs improved to 3-1 in league and 4-3 overall on Friday with a 24-14 win over Willits.
“Middletown is the gold standard of our league,” Alexander noted. “They’re always tough and well coached so we have our work cut out for us this week. As a team we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
Eagles take flight against Knights
Fans were still settling into their seats when Friday’s clash with Kelseyville had already been decided. An ominous tone was set on the opening kickoff when the Knight’s return man attempted a touchback in his own end zone but it was called for a safety.
The Eagles never looked back, taking the ensuing free kick and marching into the end zone for what would be the first of their 10 touchdowns on the night. Cloverdale scored on each possession of the first half, racing to a 30-0 lead after one and 51-0 by halftime. The running clock in the third quarter did nothing to diminish the Cloverdale attack, as the Eagles added three more touchdowns after intermission en route to a 72-0 rout.
The margin of victory is believed to be the largest in school history.
“We were able to do some things with our formations that put Kelseyville into a bind defensively,” Alexander explained. “We were able to create great angles for our line up front that allowed us to flank them to the edge and out number them.”
Leading rushers for Cloverdale were Dylan Muller (8-178 yards, 3 TDs), Diesel Cavallo (9-163 yards, TD), Kayden Hemphill (3-30 yards, TD), Edgardo Ruiz (9-72 yards, TD), Ayal Fitchelberg (10-42 yards, TD) and Caden Axell (1-7 yards).
On the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles got pick-sixes from Gabe Wlodarczyk and David Alvarez.
“Defensively, we focused on shutting down the run game and our goal was to force them to pass,” Alexander said. “We were able to do that — our front seven played fantastic and shut down their run game, which forced them to throw.”
