The varsity football Eagles notched a signature win in the NCL1 finale at Don Owens Stadium in Clear Lake on Friday, stunning the favored Cardinals with their best effort of the season, 26-12.
After spotting the Cardinals a 6-0 lead, the Eagles scored 26 unanswered points and never looked back en route to their first win in Clear Lake in six years.
“Adversity was the word of the week for us,” CHS head coach Greg Alexander said. “We entered this game down four starters, who didn’t play. We pulled some sophomores up from JV and they all contributed. This team is selfless and I couldn’t be prouder of them as a coach to go on the road against a good team and perform the way they did with so many guys missing,” he added.
The win lifted Cloverdale to a final league record of 3-3 and 5-4 on the season, while Clear Lake fell to 4-2 in league and 6-3 on the year.
More importantly, the resounding victory earned the Eagles the No. 3 seed in this week’s North Coast Section Division 7 playoffs, opening the tournament this Friday, Nov. 12 against No. 6 Berean Christian (4-5). Kickoff at John Allen Memorial Stadium is 7 p.m.
“They have some really good athletes on both sides of the ball,” Alexander noted of his first-round opponent. “I think their record is a bit misleading because of the competition they play. Their schedule this year was an absolute gauntlet. We’re hoping to get most of our guys back who missed the Clear Lake game and I’m excited for our guys to host a playoff game. I know they’ll be ready.”
Eagles ground Cardinals
Cloverdale’s Nov. 5 trip to Clear Lake represented a real test for the Eagles, who hadn’t won in that venue since 2015. But this team would lean on its strength — a powerful ground game that would effectively control the clock and keep the Cardinal’s offense off the field.
Things didn’t start out as scripted for the Eagles, as Clear Lake found pay dirt on a 78-yard scoring pass on the first play from scrimmage for an early lead.
The play proved to be one of the lone highlights of the game for the Cardinals, as Cloverdale went to its vaunted running game. Down 6-0, the game turned for the Eagles when they pounced on a Clear Lake fumble deep in Cardinal’s territory. The play effectively flipped the field and led to a 15-yard touchdown run by Dylan Muller and a 6-6 ballgame at the end of one.
Another Cardinal’s turnover — this one an Eagle’s interception — led to the second Cloverdale touchdown when quarterback Caden Axell found receiver Kayden Hemphill on a 14-yard scoring strike to take the lead. The Eagles’ defense stopped a promising Clear Lake drive deep in Cloverdale territory late in the period to preserve a 12-6 Cloverdale advantage at the half. It was a lead the Eagles would not relinquish, as Dylan Muller received a punt in the third quarter and took it 66 yards to the house. The two-point conversion was good and Cloverdale led 20-6 at the end of three. The Eagles would seal the victory in the final period when Muller broke loose on a 35-yard touchdown burst to make it 26-6. The Cardinals would finish the game with a 55-yard scoring pass but the Eagles hung on for a 26-12 victory.
Following the game Alexander praised his defense, particularly linebacker and JV call-up Nick Beeson, along with the offensive and defensive lines, for a tremendous collective effort.
“After we gave up the long touchdown throw to start the game our defense locked in and was stout all game,” he said. “Offensively we wore Clear Lake down throughout the game. The runs that were going for 3-4 yards in the first half started going for 7-8 yards in the second half. Our offensive and defensive lines played a great game and imposed their will on Clear Lake.”
