BATTLE WITH THE BEST

Playing for back-to-back Class 3A, DII playoff berths, Clifton Cubs shake off loss to District 13-3A, DII leading Lexington to hit the road for clash with Elkhart Elks

Hoping to challenge for their first district title since 2019, the Clifton Cubs took the field with that mission firmly in mind. But with the defending District 13-3A, Division II champion Lexington Eagles keeping the Clifton offense out of the endzone, the Cubs came up short in their inspired upset bid, falling to the Eagles, 28-9, last Friday night at Cub Stadium. Despite the loss, the Cubs gave the front-runners all they could handle.

“We knew this would be another very physical game,” Clifton football head coach Brent Finney said. “Lexington is a good football team, and they are good at what they do. We were so proud of how our kids responded. They played just like they practiced all week.”

Going into the final two games of the regular season, the Cubs remain in position to secure their second straight trip to the playoffs. Coming off back-to-back seasons without a playoff berth, the Cubs returned to the postseason in 2022. But even with their wealth of seniors and experience, the Cubs have been picked to finish fourth in District 13-3A, DII to earn a trip to the playoffs in 2023.

“We are very excited and proud of how much they have improved throughout the season,” Finney said. “And our focus again will be to focus on Elkhart and continuing to get better, taking each game one week at a time.”

This week, the Cubs (1-2, 3-5) will continue District 13-3A, Division II play by hitting the road to take on the Elkhart Elks (1-2, 4-4) in what could determine third place in district at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Jerry Ives Memorial Stadium. Coming off a convincing victory over winless Florence, 48-12, last Friday night, the Elks opened district with a 30-12 loss to Buffalo before getting crushed by Lexington, 42-10. Last season, Clifton buried the Elks, 49-14.

“We just have to focus on Elkhart and go take care of business,” Finney said. “Elkhart has a lot of returning players from last year. They have a dangerous mix of size and skill and are a much-improved team.”

Certainly, Clifton proved it can play with the best the district has to offer last Friday night against Lexington.

Although the Cubs produced a respectable 281 yards of total offense and virtually matched Lexington yard-for-yard in a defensive struggle, 116 of those yards came on three plays, and none of them led to offensive scores. Additionally, the Cubs could not capitalize on a turnover and good field position provided by Clifton’s relentless defensive effort

“Our kids were focused on proving that they can play with the district favorites, and they did just that,” Finney said. “We had them on the ropes a couple times, but just couldn’t finish them off.”

Featuring Clifton’s most balanced offensive attack of the season, senior running back Parker Tunnell rushed for 92 yards on 16 carries and caught four passes for 47 yards, while junior quarterback Joaquin De La Hoya completed 12 of 19 passes for 116 yards and rushed for 43 more. Emerging as a receiver to fill in for injured senior Andres Devora, junior Diego Rodriguez added two catches for a team-high 52 yards.

With even with the Clifton defense in shut down mode most of the game, four turnovers and six penalties for 63 yards proved to be too much to overcome for the Cubs.

The Cubs sacked the Eagles three times, came up with five tackles for losses, forced two turnovers and put eight points on the scoreboard. But Lexington’s back-to-back scoring drives – first on the final possession before halftime, following by taking the second half kickoff and marching for a touchdown – proved to be the difference in the game.

Running only 46 plays from scrimmage compared to 60 by Clifton, the Eagles made the most of their limited opportunities as junior John Williams rushed for three touchdowns, and sophomore quarterback Kase Evans added another score.

Finney and junior linebacker James Liardon led the Cub defense with eight tackles each with Liardon picking up a sack and a fumble recovery. Senior Ervin Rodriguez added seven takedowns, followed by senior Levi Knox with five while sophomore Luis Galindo sacked Evans in the end zone for a safety and Parker returned an interception eight yards for a Clifton’s only touchdown of the game.

“The defense played great all night,” Finney said. “And offensively, we actually outgained them. Like I have said all year, this team is so much fun to coach.”