October 18, 2023

With hard-earned, convincing District 13-3A, DII win on the road over Buffalo, Clifton Cubs take aim at title, hosting defending champion Lexington Friday

Putting their disappointing District 13-3A, Division II opening loss to Rogers at home in the rearview mirror, the Clifton Cubs hit the road to notch a defining victory in their hopes of winning their first district title since 2019.

With senior fullback Riley Finney scoring a season-high three rushing touchdowns, the Cubs ran all over the Buffalo Bison for a hard-fought, but decisive 32-8 victory last Friday night at Brewer Field. With the win, Clifton (1-1 in district, 3-4 overall) moved into a tie for third place in district behind co-leaders Lexington (2-0, 5-2) and Rogers (2-0, 4-3).

“Friday was a great team win for the Cubs,” said Clifton football head coach Brent Finney, coming off the heartbreaking 18-10 loss to Rogers in the district opener. “We were very proud of our team after the tough loss to Rogers to go out and dominate the entire game.”

Putting Clifton’s hopes of a district title to the test, the Cubs will continue District 13-3A, Division II play by hosting the defending district champion Lexington Eagles at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Cub Stadium.

Despite losing back-to-back non-district games to Troy and Rockdale, the Eagles have won four straight since, including dominating district victories over Florence, 48-7, and Elkhart, 42-10, last Friday night. Last season, Lexington soared past Clifton, 40-7, and the Eagles entered this season as the Class 3A, DII’s 12th-ranked team in the pre-season poll.

“Lexington and Rogers have not played yet, so a win at home against Lexington could put us back in the title race,” Finney said. “But no doubt, the win at Buffalo was huge as far as playoff implications are concerned.”

Clifton’s crucial win did not come easy though. After a scoreless first quarter, the Cubs grabbed an early 7-0 lead on a four-yard touchdown run by Finney, followed by junior Kanin Bearden nailing his first PAT attempt filling in for the injured Andres Devora. Then after the Clifton defense held Buffalo when the Bison went for it on fourth down on their own 42-yard line, the Cubs quickly cashed in on junior Brody Baggett’s five-yard scoring sprint.

But the Bison (1-1, 2-5) responded when sophomore quarterback Cole Davis took an option keeper five yard for a touchdown, followed by junior Colt Reeder powering up the middle for a two-point conversion as Buffalo trailed 13-8 at halftime.

On Buffalo’s first possession of the second half, senior Parker Tunnell shut down the Bison drive into Cub territory with an interception. Capitalizing on the turnover, Clifton marched 57 yards on eight plays as Finney powered into the endzone from nine yards out for the touchdown, giving the Cubs a two-score advantage.

Then in the fourth quarter, Clifton put the game away with big plays from the defense, and the offense responding with two opportunistic scores. Senior Clay Kennedy came up with his second interception of the game, and Finney cashed in with a three-yard scoring run.

Then after Buffalo responded with a drive into Cub territory, the Clifton defense held. On first down, Finney broke through up the middle, refused to go down, breaking several tackles on his way to a game-breaking 57-yard romp. Two plays later, junior quarterback Joaquin De La Hoya cashed in from nine-yards out on a keeper and Beardin nailed the PAT to put the game away.

Pounding the ball on the ground and wearing the Bison down, the Cubs rolled up 300 yards rushing on 48 carries for a 6.3 yards per attempt average to control the time of possession and the outcome of the game. With four Cubs picking up more than 50 yards each on the ground, Finney led the relentless running attack with 83 yards on 11 carries.

“We were able to execute our game plan offensively,” Finney said. “We were very balanced in our rushing attack and were able to sustain drives.”

De La Hoya contributed to the multi-threat running game with 69 yards and a touchdown on nine carries, senior Ervin Rodriguez added 62 yards highlighted by a 36-yard romp, and senior running back Parker Tunnell worked hard for 59 yards.

Keeping the Buffalo defense honest, the Cubs effectively mixed in the passing game for a couple of first downs as De La Hoya completed two of three passes for 33 yards, connecting with junior James Liardon for 22 yards and Tunnell for 11.

When the Bison (1-1, 2-5) did get the ball, the Clifton defense rose to the occasion, came up with three turnovers and otherwise shut Buffalo down. Finney led the Cubs with 12 tackles, followed by Liardon with 10, junior Dylan Atkins with seven, as well as Baggett, Tunnell, Ervin Rodriguez and junior Diego Rodriguez with five each.

“The defense did a great job of shutting them down all night,” Finney said. “We were able to capitalize on the three interceptions by the defense and turn them into points.”

After Clifton missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, Finney led the Cubs back to the promised land in his first season as head coach in 2022 as District 13-3A, DII’s fourth place team. This season, the Cubs – loaded with 17 seniors and 20 returning lettermen – want more.

“We will continue to focus on ourselves and take each game one week at a time,” Finney said. “I can’t say enough about these kids…how they continue to work hard and improve each week. They are so much fun to coach and play very well together.”

Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS

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