by Mother Nature decided to make a guest appearance before tonight’s game, this causing a 40-minute rain delay. Once the storm passed, it was time for a Lorain County League showdown between the visiting Wellington Dukes and the host team Clearview Clippers.
After the rain, the Clippers Defense had a critical goal-line stand in the first quarter as they stopped The Dukes on Clippers 5 yard line. Also contributing on the defensive side of the ball for the Clippers, linebacker Shea Stowers snagged an Interception and put another stop to the driving Dukes, leaving the score tied at 0-0.
After a scoreless first quarter, The Clippers Quarterback Ethan Lorenzana found his receiver, Keith Colvin, for a 33-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. The Clippers went for a 2-point conversion attempt and could not convert, leaving a 6-0 lead over the Dukes.
Later in the second quarter, The Dukes put six on the board as Quarterback Cj Polen connected with Jon Brasse for a 25-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was good, and the Dukes took the lead 7-6.
In the second quarter, the scoring continued for the Dukes as Nate Patfield bulldozed his way into the endzone from 5 yards out. Patfield’s score increased the Dukes’ lead 14-7. On the previous play, the Dukes dug into their bag of tricks as Polen tossed the ball to Ty Moore in the backfield on an option play, and Moore completed his only pass of the night, a 25-yard pass to wideout Jon Brasse.
After the Dukes’ second score of the night, Clearview had a 55-yard Kickoff in the early stages of the 4th quarter by Malcolm Lane and was stopped just shy of the Dukes 25 yard line. The Clippers could not find paydirt as Lorenzana’s pass was intercepted in the endzone by Jon Brasse of The Dukes.
The Dukes drove down the field and found the endzone for the final time for the night as CJ Polen punched it in from 2 yards giving the Dukes the lead 21-6.
At first, the game looked to be a defensive struggle as both teams couldn’t find the kept out of the endzone in the first quarter, but it was a different story once the Dukes scored 21 unanswered points from the second quarter to the fourth quarter to maintain the lead and win the game 21-6
The Dukes outgained the Clippers on the ground 207 to 39. One hundred forty-two of those yards were gained by Nate Patfield. The Clippers had 194 yards of total offense ( 39 rushing and 155 passing).
The Clippers Ethan Lorenzana had a valiant effort as he left it all on the field as he went 20 of 34 with 155 yards passing, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. Lorenzana also ran the ball 12 times for 30 yards. Lorenzana’s teammate Keith Colvin recorded 8 receptions for 99 yards and 1 Touchdown for the Clippers.
Player of The Game
And speaking of Nate Patfield, he is tonight’s player of the game. Patfield ran the rock 21 times for 142 yards and 1 touchdown. He chipped away at the Clippers’ defense after a quiet first quarter and could not be stopped. He ran for significant gains of 20, 18, and 17 yards en route to the Dukes’ victory.
The Wellington Dukes return home next week to host the visiting Brookside Cardinals. The Cardinals look to bounce back after losing to the Firelands Falcons 42-7 while the Dukes seek their 5th win of the season. The Clearview Clippers are still in the hunt for their first win of the season as they host the Oberlin Phoenix as the Phoenix look to rebound after a 49-6 loss to the undefeated Columbia Raiders.
@TheRealEddyKool
