Clear Creek Amana senior Jared EckrichRyan Murken
Your Prep Sports

DAVENPORT – Things couldn’t have started much better or ended much worse for Clear Creek Amana on Thursday against Davenport Assumption.

Clear Creek Amana took a 7-0 lead just 18 seconds into the game but watched Assumption score the next 27 points on its way to a 33-20 win in a Class 3A, District 4 matchup on a cool evening at Brady Street Stadium in Davenport.

The loss was the second straight for Clear Creek Amana (6-2), which was hurt by six turnovers, multiple special teams miscues and some key early injuries.

Starting quarterback Ashton Carpenter and linebacker and long snapper David Jensen both left with injuries in the first half and did not return as Clear Creek Amana fell to 4-2 in District 3 play.

“That was exactly the way we wanted to start,” Clear Creek Amana coach Matt Hughes said. “The momentum was on our side we had everything going and then it was just one thing after the next. To lose one of your starting linebackers and your starting quarterback in the first quarter is pretty rough.”
Clear Creek Amana senior Cory Siders
Junior quarterback Jayce Levy accounted for all five Assumption touchdowns, running for three scores and throwing for two more as the Knights improved to 6-2 with their fifth straight win.

Levy ran for a game-high 131 yards and threw for 86 to help Assumption survive a wild game in which each team committed six turnovers.

“It was a crazy game,” Assumption coach Wade King said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been in one like that.”

The craziness started immediately as Grant Riggan picked off a Levy pass on the first play from scrimmage and returned it to the Assumption 2 yard line.

Jared Eckrich scored the next play to give the Clippers a 7-0 lead 18 seconds into the game.

That was just the beginning.

On the first play following an Assumption punt on its ensuing possession Anthony Valainis intercepted a Carpenter pass and returned it to the Clipper 3 yard line.

Two plays later Levy scored from 2 yards out to tie the score at 7-7.

Assumption took its first lead of the game at 14-7 when Levy hit Ryan Wohlers for a 29-yard touchdown pass two plays after a Clipper fumble gave the Knights good field position.

“We did it to ourselves,” Hughes said. “It’s little things like that when you are playing a good team like Assumption you can’t have those mistakes.”

Assumption made it 21-7 when Levy capped a 13-play, 74-yard touchdown drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Ray Thrapp with 5:41 left in the first half.

A blocked punt on the ensuing Clear Creek possession gave Assumption the ball at the 33 yard line.
The Knights needed just five plays to make it 27-7 when Levy scored on a 6-yard touchdown run with 2:07 left in the first half.

“It was a battle of mistakes,” King said. “That’s not how we thought it would go down tonight but I’m proud of our guys. I thought we came out and played extremely physical which is one of the things we challenged our guys with this week.”

Clear Creek Amana wouldn’t go without a fight.

The Clippers cut the lead to 27-14 with a 5-play, 47-yard drive that ended with a 25-yard touchdown run by Eckrich with 7:15 left in the third quarter.

“I told the kids they had every opportunity in the world to fold their tent at halftime and they came out and they fought,” Hughes said. “That showed a lot of character and it showed a lot of pride in who they are.”

Assumption answered the Eckrich touchdown with its best drive of the night, a 19-play, 72-yard march that took nearly eight minutes off the clock.

The Knights converted three fourth downs on the scoring drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown dive by Levy.

“It was just one of those where you get them in third and short and you need somebody to step up and make a play and you need something good to happen and they just kept making those plays,” Hughes said. “Hats off to Assumption they played a great game tonight and we made too many mistakes.”

Clear Creek Amana cut the lead to 33-20 on a 3-yard touchdown run by Eckrich with 8:51 left but the Clippers would get no closer, as their final three possessions ended with interceptions.

Eckrich led Clear Creek Amana with 92 yards on the ground as the Clippers rushed for 162 yards.

Matt Brimeyer added 83 yards on 13 carries and junior Dylan Sheely passed for 45 yards in relief of Carpenter with Cory Siders catching four passes for 26 yards and collecting one of the Clippers three interceptions.

Clear Creek Amana dropped to 4-2 in District play and will close out the regular season at home next week against Central DeWitt.

“Tonight hurt us but it didn’t kill us,” Hughes said. “All we have to do is come out and get better and we have one more game to finish out at home and hopefully at that point we will just see what happens.”

                                CCA            Assumption
First downs               12                    16
Rushes-yards            43-162             49-204
Passing yards            82                    86
Total yards                244                  290
Comp-Att-Int            7-17-4             10-21-3
Fumbles-Lost            5-2                   3-3
Penalties-Yards         2-15                 5-35

Davenport Assumption   7 20 0 6 – 33
Clear Creek Amana         7  0 7 6 – 20

CCA – Jared Eckrich 2 run (Tyreke Williams kick)
DA – Jayce Levy 2 run (Nate McMullen kick)
DA – Ryan Wohlers 29 pass from Levy (McMullen kick)
DA – Ray Thrapp 4 pass from Levy (McMullen kick)
DA – Levy 6 run (Kick failed)
CCA – Eckrich 25 run (Williams kick)
DA – Levy 1 run (Pass failed)
CCA – Eckrich 3 run (Run failed)

Individual stats
Passing – CCA: Jared Eckrich 18-92, Matt Brimeyer 13-83, Ashton Carpenter 4-12, Grant Riggan 1-6, Dylan Sheely 5-(-8), Team 2-(2-23). DA: Jayce Levy 28-131, Justus Burke 14-86, Peter Laubenthal 2-7, Ryan Wohlers 1-1, Team 4-(-21).
Rushing – CCA: Dylan Sheely 6-15-3 45, Cory Siders 1-1-0 37, Ashton Carpenter 0-1-1 0. DA: Jayce Levy 10-20-3 86, Chris Bridges 0-1-0 0.
Receiving – CCA: Cory Siders 4-26, Tate Thomsen 2-50, Jared Eckrich 1-6. DA: Ryan Wohlers 4-50, Justus Burke 3-16, Ray Thrapp 2-14, Ben Frommelt 1-6.