Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

TIFFIN – Clear Creek Amana made some school history on Friday night.

That is only half of what made the Clippers’ win over Davenport Assumption unforgettable.

Clear Creek Amana improved to 7-0 for the first time in program history with a wild and weather-shortened 17-7 win over Davenport Assumption (3-4) at rain-soaked Clipper Field in Tiffin.

Originally set for 7:15 p.m., the game was bumped up to 5:30, delayed for 2:49 minutes in the opening quarter and eventually called with 8:53 left and the Clippers leading 17-7.

All of those factors made the first 7-0 start in school history that much more memorable.

“This is something we will remember forever,” Clear Creek Amana coach Gabe Bakker said. “We’ve been here what almost seven hours? Our kids responded well to everything from the early start time and the delay and I couldn’t be any more proud of them.”

Andrew Rohret rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns and senior backup tailback Zach Kabbage ran for 96 yards as Class 3A No. 8 Clear Creek Amana improved to 3-0 in Class 3A, District 5 play.

Clear Creek Amana trailed 7-3 when lightning caused a nearly three-hour delay with 3:41 left in the first quarter.

The Clippers scored 14-unanswered points after the delay and had the ball at their own 23 yard line when a second delay started with 8:53 left.

Around 11:30 p.m. Assumption made the decision to concede the game.

We knew before the game started it would be iffy if there was going to be rain or if there wasn’t going to be rain,” Clear Creek Amana sophomore TJ Bollers said. “The big message was just stay focused and the mentally tougher team would win. We came out after that first break and we answered and we just played our game.”

Clear Creek Amana won six straight to open the season to make the best start in program history done more recently in 2016.

That 2016 team lost back-to-back games after its 6-0 start and failed to reach the postseason.

Along with making some school history on Friday the current Clippers took a huge step toward their first playoff appearance since 2015.  

“It feels great to just be able to make history,” Sophomore TJ Bollers said. “Obviously this isn’t how we thought it would end but it’s a great feeling being the first team to be able to be 7-0.”

Rain fell for most of the game in an intensity that varied from steady to an outright downpour.

The Clippers took advantage early when Sam Noska recovered a Nathan Schlichting fumble at the Knight 32 yard line of the first play of the game.

Clear Creek Amana turned the turnover into points when Mitch Evans connected on a 23-yard field goal just 85 seconds into the game.

Assumption answered with a 4-yard touchdown run by Brandon Schlichting that put the Knights up 7-3 with 4:34 left in the first half.

The next two plays of the game resulted in turnovers.

Clear Creek Amana coughed up the ball on the ensuing kickoff but on the Knight’s first play from scrimmage Quentin Gisleson picked off a Brandon Schlichting pass.

Two plays later came the first of two weather delays.

“That’s kind of happened to us in a lot of games where we have played well in the first half but we get in at halftime and regroup and that happened early tonight with the break at the four-minute mark,” Bakker said. We really don’t change much but I think the break flipped our mindset and we came out in the second half pretty well.”

Out of the break a JJ Denny interception set Clear Creek Amana up with good field position at the Assumption 41 yard line.

Clear Creek Amana covered the 41 yards in 10 plays and went up 10-7 on a 2-yard keeper by Rohret with 7:04 left in the first half.

The touchdown was set up by a 21-yard pass from Rohret to Bollers on 4th-and-10 that set up a first and goal.

Rohret was flushed from the pocket and threw the ball up towards the 6-foot-5 Bollers who outjumped a pair of Assumption defenders inside the 5 yard line.

“It was jump ball,” Bollers said. “Anyone could have got it. I knew there were guys around me so I knew I had to come down that ball.”

Two plays later Rohret dove in to the end zone from two yards out and the Clippers never trailed again.

“It was really big for us we knew we had to come out and answer right away,” Bollers said. “It was the drive that we wanted, as soon as we got back we knew we had to come out and change the game.”

The Clippers put together their best drive of the game in the third quarter.

Clear Creek Amana went 66 yards in 11 plays and took what proved to be an insurmountable lead on a 5-yard TD run by Rohret.

The Clippers had 185 of their 22 rushing yards after the first-quarter weather delay and came within 57 yards of their previous season best rushing total without playing the final nearly nine minutes.

“They are a very good team, they come out and hit you but we ran the ball well and they knew we were going to have to run it and we still did it,” Bakker said. “We are going to have to throw it a little more but in these conditions we will take it.”

                                   CCA                 DA

First downs                13                     6

Rushes-yards           46-220             29-83

Comp-Att-Int              7-11-0              3-12-2

Passing yards             57                    50

Total yards                  277                  133

Punts-Avg.                5-29.8               4-42

Fumbles-lost               2-1                   5-1

Penalties-yards          6-40                 1-5

Clear Creek Amana              3   7  7   0  –  17

Davenport Assumption        7   0  0   0  –  7

CCA – Mitch Evans 23 field goal

DA – Brandon Schlichting 4 run (Franz Sirna kick)

CCA – Andrew Rohret 2 run (Evans kick)

CCA – Rohret 5 run (Evans kick)

Individual Statistics

RUSHING – CCA: Andrew Rohret 23-119, Zach Kabbage 22-96, Sam Stevens 1-5. DA: Brandon Schlichting 11-48, Johnny Hua 10-33, Nathan Schlichting 2-7, Nick Gotilla 1-4, Tyler Kulhanek 3-(-2), Team 2-(-7). 

PASSING – CCA: Andrew Rohret 7-11-0 57. DA: Brandon Schlichting 2-11-2 21, Nick Gotilla 1-1-0 29.

RECEIVING – CCA: Gabe Jenn 2-28, TJ Bollers 1-21, Nolan Schwarting 1-8, Mitch Evans 1-5, Zach Kabbage 1-0, Sam Stevens 1-(-1). DA: Nathan Schlichting 1-29, Adam Metivier 1-13, Nick Gotilla 1-8.

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