Scoring late for thrilling come-from-behind win over Elkhart Elks, Clifton Cubs clinch playoff berth in District 13-3A, DII, aim to secure third against Florence at home in finale
Despite trailing by eight points on the road going into the fourth quarter, the Clifton Cubs rallied for a dramatic 22-16 victory over Elkhart Elks on a wet and stormy Friday night at Jerry Ives Memorial Stadium to move into the driver’s seat for a third-place finish in District 13-3A, DII and clinching a second straight trip to the playoffs in the process.
“Like we told our kids at halftime, all the close games we have played prepared them to go win that game in the second half,” Clifton second-year head coach Brent Finney said. “They stayed calm and responded. Even after Elkhart scored on the first play of the second half, there was no panic. Our kids really stepped up in the fourth quarter and we couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Needing a win in the regular season finale to secure third place, the Cubs (2-2, 4-5) wrap up the District 13-3A, Division II schedule with a matchup against the Florence Buffaloes (0-4, 0-9) for Senior Night Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Cub Stadium. Rogers (4-0, 6-3) clinched the district title with a convincing 42-14 victory over Lexington (3-1, 6-3) last Friday night.
The Buffaloes remained winless following a 48-7 loss to the Buffalo Bison (2-2, 3-6) Friday. Last season, the Cubs posted a 32-26 road victory over Florence in the regular season finale.
“It will be very nice to finish the regular season at home for Senior Night,” Finney said. “Florence has a new coach, and they played a very good game against us last year. Just like every week, we will have to be disciplined and come out and take care of business.”
Piling up 379 yards of total offense against Elkhart (1-3, 5-4), the Cubs ran the ball with authority the entire game with the three-headed attack featuring senior Parker Tunnell, senior Riley Finney and junior Joaquin De La Hoya. But the halfback pass from Parker to Brody Baggett for the go ahead touchdown with 1:07 left in the game proved to be the difference.
“Being able to run the ball at the end of the game like we did was huge,” Finney said. “Then, the execution on the final touchdown play was perfect.”
Taking the snap from center, De La Hoya pitched the ball left to Tunnell, who stopped on the edge and tossed a perfect pass to Baggett down the sideline. Baggett made the catch in bounds, broke a tackle, then sprinted down the sideline for a 43-yard scoring strike that proved to be the game-winner. Tunnell sprinted into the end zone on the right side for the two-point conversion to give Clifton a six-point lead.
With the Cubs gaining 318 yards on the ground, Tunnell led Clifton with 139 yards on 25 carries, followed by De La Hoya with 98 yards on 12 carries and Finney added another 66 yards on nine totes.
Although Elkhart accumulated 316 yards of total offense, almost half of it came on two plays, junior quarterback Trysyn Tidrow connecting with senior receiver Pablo Rodarte for a 58-yards scoring strike to open the second half, and sophomore running back Jackson Denney breaking through up the middle for an 80-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
Even though the Cub defense gave up the big plays, it stepped up big time at critical moments, beginning with the interception to thwart a potential scoring drive on Elkhart’s first possession of the game, as well as the stop to secure the win in the final seconds. Finney led Clifton with eight tackles, followed by senior Ervin Rodriguez with six, as well as juniors Dylan Atkins and James Liardon with five each.
“The defense did a really nice job all night,” Finney said. “But they really stepped up in the last minute of the game to preserve the win. This was a huge TEAM win. District wins are all important, but being able to clinch a playoff spot on the road before the end of the season was very special for our guys.”
Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
©2023 Southern Cross Creative, LLP. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.