FINDING A WAY TO WIN

Class 3A, DII Clifton Cubs outlast Riesel in home opener, look to start season 2-0 for the first time since 2018 on the road at Coleman

Scoring on their first play from scrimmage, the Class 3A, Division II Clifton Cubs appeared to be off to the races in the season opener of the 2024 Texas high school football season. Although the Cubs never trailed in what proved to be a defensive struggle for both teams, it wasn’t easy as Clifton escaped with a hard-fought 12-7 victory over the Class 2A, Division I Riesel Indians Friday night in Cub Stadium.

“We knew Riesel would be a good football team,” Clifton football head coach Brent Finney said. “They are well-coached and had a lot of returning starters from a 9-2 playoff team. They were actually picked to beat us Friday night. So to come out and get a win at home in the season opener was really good.

“Like we told the kids, week one games can be crazy. And we did what we had to do to get the win. For the most part, our special teams played really well, and that is always a concern early in the season. Like always, we will watch the film and find what we did well and find what we need to fix.”

Looking for their first 2-0 start since 2018, the Cubs (1-0) will hit the road to take on Class 2A, DI’s 18th-ranked Coleman Bluecats (0-1) at 7 p.m. Friday. Despite losing their season opener to the Class 3A, DII Eastland Mavericks, 21-6, the Bluecats entered the season as the favorite to win the District 5-2A, DI title ahead of DeLeon, Hamilton and Hico. With Eastland playing in Clifton’s new District 5-3A, DII, it could prove to be an early gauge of how the Cubs compare.

“Coleman will be another good test for us,” Finney said. “They will have a good mix of size and skill. Early in the season, this will be a good test for our young team and handling a long road trip. With lots of long drives this season, it will be imperative for us to be able to handle these road trips.”

Opening the season at home against Riesel, senior quarterback Joaquin De la Hoya broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage, spun to the outside and outraced the Indians 65 yards for a touchdown on the game’s opening play.

In addition to the big scoring strike, the Cubs offense produced several sustained drives as De la Hoya finished the game with a game-high 165 yards rushing. But time and time again, Clifton came up short as marches were stalled by untimely penalties and turnovers.

“We thought we were able to move the ball more consistently,” Finney said. “And after watching the film, we did some things really well. We need to clean up our execution, whether it was a missed block on the perimeter, a procedure or holding penalty, or a fumble…we were our own worst enemy.”

Although Riesel mounted an 11-play drive in response to the game opening score, the Cub defense rose to the occasion for a stop. Despite allowing a lone score coming off an offensive turnover, the Cub defense did a great job shutting down Riesel the entire game. The Clifton defensive allowed the Indians only 68 yards rushing and 35 passing for 103 yards of total offense. Coming up with four turnovers, the Cubs limited Riesel to completing only four of 13 passed, pressuring the Indians for three sacks.

Junior Judd New led the Cubs with seven tackles and a fumble recovery while sophomore Jackson Ritz grabbed an interception and collected four tackles, along with senior Tristan Hammond and senior James Liardon with four takedowns each, as well as senior Kyle Rogers and junior Deacon Williams with fumble recoveries.

“The defense did a really good job of keeping them out of the endzone,” Finney said. “Riesel had a hard time moving the ball all night. We must continue to improve our pass rush and tackling. But overall, our energy and aggressiveness was good.”

But with 7:45 left in the third quarter, De la Hoya tossed a beautifully executed pass completion to senior wide receiver Diego Rodriguez in the corner of the end zone for a 16-yard scoring strike that proved to be the difference on the scoreboard. Rodriguez extended for a one-handed catch and got his feet down inside the back line for the score

“Those are the kind of plays you want your seniors to make,” Finney said. “Those guys worked all spring and summer, and it paid off at the right time.”