Clearview did not forget its 20-14 double-overtime loss to Toledo Scott in 2022.
Nearly a year has passed since then and Aug. 18, the Clippers got their revenge with a 36-8 win at home.
“This was the game that I was looking forward to since last year. The biggest thing is that we wanted to come out and get the win,” Clearview linebacker Ayden Cruz said. “It kind of wanted us to get a nice (start) to our season, but last year, we won the last game too and we ended up 3-7. We need to remain humble, come out here and do the same thing next week.”
Clearview suffered a flurry of penalties on offense and defense, which led to an 8-0 deficit at the end of the first quarter. Bulldogs All-Ohio quarterback Carmel Smith II completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Marquise Westley.
Once the Clippers dusted themselves off, they dominated the second quarter to score 26 unanswered points. Clearview led, 26-8, at halftime.
“You gotta give Scott credit. They have a couple of players out there that are really good athletes,” Clearview Coach Mike Collier said. “It took us a while to adjust to the speed o the game for our guys, but I think. Once they got it down, they looked good.”
Clearview overcame adversity to score its first touchdown. A 53-yard touchdown pass to Malcolm Lane was taken away from a blindside hit.
In last year’s game against Scott, Clearview running back Ashton Pabon suffered a shoulder injury that made him miss much of the season. Pabon made the redemption touchdown on the same drive with a 16-yard run.
Clearview beat Scott through the air and on the ground. Quarterback Cy Christensen threw a 91-yard touchdown pass to Dominic Jackson for their first touchdown of the season. That put the score at 14-8. According to the sophomore quarterback, he saw a flaw in the defense and made a call to go there.
“I knew that was going to be open in that corner. I pump-faked the corner, he bit on that and I threw it right over his head,” he said. “I knew that there was going to be two high safeties and I knew that corner was going to be wide open.”
Christensen totaled 202 passing yards in the first half. He completed 20 of his 32 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns.
“I liked (Christensen’s) composure,” Collier said. “He was making good decisions and not really putting our offense in a bad situation. When (the play) was there, he took it. When the play wasn’t there, he threw it away and got rid of it (safely),”
The Clippers defense lost All-Ohio defensive back Keith Colvin in the second quarter, but All-Ohio teammate Cruz stepped up to the occasion with two second-quarter interceptions. One of which went for a long return and set up a 13-yard touchdown run for Ethan Lorenzana.
A well-placed kick on the ensuing kickoff pinned Scott deep in it’s own territory. Clearview defensive lineman Avion Thomas took full advantage to tackle the Bulldogs in the end zone for a safety.
Cruz transitioned his impact toward the offensive end from a 21-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter’s first play.
The Clippers pass rush got after Smith, who attempted 42 passes, he was sacked several times by All-Ohioan defensive linemen Greg O’Hern and Josiah Longo.
“We all clicked, we were all doing the best we could and that was all that was needed,” O’Hern said.
The Bulldogs led the series with Clearview that started in 2019, which led to a 2-1 record against it coming into the game, which Clearview tied the series, 2-2.
Just as last year, Clearview started its season 1-0. Scott, which went 7-3 last year, dropped to 0-1.
The Bulldogs dropped to 0-1 and will travel to Toledo St. Francis on Aug. 24.
For the first time since 2019, Clearview will have a chance to get off to a 2-0 start since its 8-2 season in 2019. The Clippers finished second in the LC8 that year.
Even though Clearview is a Division IV size school, its schedule does not shy away from bigger schools. Clearview will travel to Lakewood on Aug. 25 to take on the Rangers at First Federal Lakewood Stadium.
THE SCORE
Clearview 36, Toledo Scott 8
