TIED AT THE TOP

After surviving District 5-3A, DII scare in Early, Clifton host pre-season favorite Tolar in battle for first place: Cardiac Cubs off to first 2-0 start since 2018

By posting their second straight come-from-behind, one-point District 5-3A, Division II win, the 2024 Clifton Cubs could soon become known as the Cardiac Cubs. And in the process, the Cubs have gotten off to a 2-0 start in district for the first time since 2018, the last time Clifton won an outright district title.

Trailing late in the fourth quarter, the Cubs methodically marched down the field for the go-ahead score before the defense stepped up for two stops as Clifton survived for a dramatic 26-25 road victory over the Early Longhorns last Friday night at Longhorn Stadium.

“We knew this would be a tough game on the road, against a good team that has played a very tough schedule,” Clifton head coach Brent Finney said. “We jumped out to an early lead and maybe let up a little and lost a little focus. Credit to Early, they came back and kept playing and regained the momentum.

“I am so proud of our kids. They answered every time. Early took the momentum and the lead, but we responded.”

Back-to-back district wins set up this week’s showdown as the Cubs (2-0 in district, 5-2 overall) return home to host the pre-season district favorite Tolar Rattlers (2-0, 6-1) in a battle for first place at 7 p.m. Friday at Cub Stadium. The Rattlers will be coming off an overwhelming 56-14 district victory over the winless Dublin Lions (0-2, 0-7) last Friday night.

“Tolar is a really good football team,” said Finney of the Rattlers, who moved up from Class 2A, Division I after advancing to the state title game in 2023. “They played for a state championship last year and have a lot of kids back. They are very good on both sides of the ball, and they will no doubt be the best team we have seen so far this year.”

Against Early, Clifton took the opening kickoff and marched 65 yards on eight plays all on the ground and overcoming two penalties to jump out to an early 7-0 lead. After senior Joaquin De la Hoya and sophomore running back Jackson Ritz carried the bulk of the workload with two big runs called back on penalties, senior fullback James Liardon gashed the Longhorn defense up the middle and sprinted 52 yards for the score.

Then on Early’s third play from scrimmage, sophomore defensive back Judd New picked off a pass and weaved his way down the sideline 63 yards for a pick-six score. But the Mavericks blocked the extra point, leaving Clifton with a 13-0 advantage.

Early in the second quarter, the Longhorns got on the scoreboard when senior quarterback Weston Barton hit sophomore receiver Andrew Reedy in stride down the middle for a 35-yard touchdown strike.

Then after the Early defense held the Cubs to a three-and-out, the Longhorns struck quickly as junior Cameron Love sliced through the defensive front and broke free for a 39-yard touchdown run. Freshman Brennen Rasor split the upright for the extra point to tie the score before halftime.

Completing a run of scoring 19 unanswered points, Love ripped off a 35-yard touchdown run to open the second half to give Early a 19-13 lead early in the third quarter.

After the Cubs defense stopped the Early offensive onslaught, Clifton responded with a scoring drive to recapture the lead. After methodically marching the ball down the field on the ground, senior Tristan Hammond scored on an end around from four yards out. Senior placekicker Kanin Bearden nailed the extra point to put the Cubs ahead, 20-19.

But on the first play from scrimmage after the Longhorns forced a fumble, Love broke through up the middle and stripped four tackles along the way to a 61-yard touchdown romp to put Early back up on top in the fourth quarter. But with Love attempting the two-point conversion, the Cubs defense swarmed and stopped the Longhorns just short of the goal line, leaving Early with a 25-20 advantage.

On the ensuing kickoff, Ritz gave Clifton good field position with a 42-yard return to midfield. From there, the Cubs went to work on a game-winning 50-yard scoring drive on 12 plays. De la Hoya hooked up with Ritz on a swing pass for a 19-yard gain, before Ritz tossed a halfback throwback pass to senior Brody Baggett for a 22-yard completion to the Longhorn three-yard line.

On third and goal, De la Hoya powered in from one-yard out on the keeper, but his two-point conversion pass attempt was batted away from senior Diego Rodriguez, short leaving Clifton with a one-point lead with three minutes remaining.

Early appeared to be on its way to a dramatic finish after converting a fourth down situation when Barton connected with Reddy in triple coverage for a 21-yard gain to the Clifton 43-yard line. But four plays later, Love fumbled on a run up the middle, and Jackson recovered to stop the drive. The Longhorns got the ball back one more time, but Jackson picked off a deep pass in the final seconds to seal the deal.

Although the Cub defense surrendered 397 yards of total offense and four big scoring plays, Clifton also came up with four turnovers that proved to be the difference in the game. Clinging to a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter, the Cubs came up with back-to-back turnovers. Liardon led the Clifton defense with six total tackles, followed by junior Luis Galindo with five tackles and a sack, as well as sophomore Rowdy Bishop and Ritz with four each, while New, Ritz and Rodriguez grabbed interceptions.

“Like we have said all year, we are a young team with lots of inexperienced varsity players,” Finney said. “And to come back twice on the road in the second half just says a lot about the growth and confidence these guys are gaining. I can’t say enough about our coaching staff that kept our kids playing hard and believing we could get the job done.”

After scoring on the opening possession, the Cubs moved the ball effectively, producing 283 yards of total offense. But even though Clifton struggled to sustain drives and put points on the board until late, the Cubs controlled the ball by running 63 plays compared to 49 for Early. And when they had to do so, the Cubs put together two scoring drives in response to Early taking the lead each time.

“We know what the stats say…but we were able to drive and score when we needed it,” Finney said. “And the defense created some turnovers and made the stops when we had to. We missed some opportunities to go ahead. But again, our kids responded when the chips were down, and that is all that matters. There are no ugly district wins…they all count the same in the district standings.”