by LORAIN, Ohio – The Clearview Clippers defeated the Keystone Wildcats 20-19 in an instant classic in front of their home crowd.
First Half:
In the first half, the Keystone Wildcats got off to a hot start. On the first drive of the game, Keystone turned to their trio running back Wyatt McKee, quarterback Colton Cowling, and wide receiver Zach Taylor who combined for all 54 yards on the drive. Quarterback Colton Cowling showed off his running ability, finishing the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run to give Keystone an early 7-0 lead.
Following a turnover on downs by Clearview, the trio of McKee, Cowling, and Taylor got back to work yet again on offense. On 3rd and 15, Quarterback Colton Cowling found wide receiver Zack Taylor for a 17-yard pass completion, which accelerated the drive. A few plays later, following a 10-yard run by McKee and a 14-yard run by Cowling, Cowling threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to running back Bobby Gurcich to give Keystone a 13-0 lead.
Early on in the game, Clearview’s offense found success, mostly through the run. Quarterback Kam Williams and running back Tristin Intile both found success; however, the Keystone defense, to their credit, got stops when they needed them. Keystone forced a turnover on downs every Clearview possession in the first half. The Keystone Wildcats took a 13-0 lead into the halftime break with all the momentum.
Second Half:
Clearview, looking for some momentum, got the ball first to begin the second half. On the fourth play of the drive, running back Tristin Intile, who began the season as the Clearview quarterback, had the opportunity to throw a pass and connected with wide receiver Braden Turner for a 33-yard pass completion to ignite the Clearview crowd. Following a big fourth-down conversion, quarterback Kam Williams made one of his few mistakes of the game, throwing a pass into the hands of Keystone defensive back Shane Ohl, ending a promising drive with the turnover.
On the next Clearview possession, Kam Williams made up for his interception, completing all four of his passes, totaling 35 yards on the drive. His longest pass was to running back Tristin Intile for 16 yards. A play later, running back Christian Stevenson scored from five yards out to give Clearview their first score of the game, cutting the Keystone lead to 13-7.
Keystone regained possession on offense, and their passing attack got to work. Quarterback Colton Cowling went three for three through the air on the drive for 69 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kaleb Scott. Keystone attempted a two-point conversion but was unsuccessful. The Wildcats still held a 12-point lead at 19-7.
With their season on the line, down by two scores, the Clearview Clippers offense showed they were up for the challenge. The Clippers ran the ball seven times, led by running back Tristin Intile with five carries for 20 yards, and set up quarterback Kam Williams for a touchdown run to cut the deficit to 19-13.
Clearview’s defense needed a big stop and was able to get it. Clearview’s offense got the ball on their own 17-yard line with only a few minutes left to continue their season. Quarterback Kam Williams found wide receiver Braden Turner for a 10-yard pass completion. A personal foul penalty gave Clearview 15 more yards to accelerate the start of the drive. The Clearview offense, with a balanced attack, moved the ball down the field. A 32-yard completion from Kam Williams to wide receiver Fabian Molina moved the Clippers inside the 10-yard line with under 30 seconds left in the game. A few plays later, quarterback Kam Williams ran the ball from two yards out to tie the game at 19 with six seconds left. Kicker Mikkel Damgaard added the extra point to give Clearview its first lead of the game.
Keystone got the ball back on offense for one last play. Quarterback Colton Cowling found wide receiver Kaleb Scott for a long pass completion that ended up just short of the goal line as Clearview won the game 20-19.
Both teams finished the regular season with identical records of 5-5 overall and 5-2 in conference play. For Clearview, the win gives them a real shot at securing a playoff spot. For Keystone, the loss did not eliminate them from playoff contention, but they will need to see how the rest of the games play out.
Player of the Game- Clearview’s Kam Williams: The senior quarterback went 17 for 21 through the air for 120 yards and a single touchdown pass; he also ran the ball 20 times for 50 yards and the game-winning touchdown!
