Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

TIFFIN – Clear Creek Amana took a big step in year two under head coach Gabe Bakker.

Following a 3-6 campaign in 2017 the Clippers jumped to 8-2 with a trip to the Class 3A playoff last season.

The next step for Clear Creek Amana is a big one – backing up last year’s breakthrough with a second solid season and proving the Clippers are no one-hit wonders.

“I think our kids are hungry to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke,” Bakker said. “Winning games is what they want to do but we need to go put a better product out on the field. We can’t control how other teams are going to improve or be better but our kids want to be out there and show everyone that we are a better football team than we were a year ago.”

Clear Creek Amana was the surprise of Class 3A last season when it won seven straight games to open the season on its way to a school-record eight wins.

Last season’s breakthrough has the Clippers seeking to shed the underdog label for good.

“What we were able to do last year sets a much higher standard for our team this season,” senior defensive back Kaden Gisleson said. “We went 8-1 through the regular season and made it to the playoffs, which was the best record we’ve had in a while and playoffs was something we hadn’t achieved very often, when you do all those things you want to do even more.”

To take the next step the Clippers must do something that hasn’t been done often at Clear Creek Amana – put together back-to-back strong seasons.

Every past peak for the Clippers has been followed by a valley.

Arguably the most successful run in program history, a three-year stretch of winning seasons and playoff trips from 2008-2010 was followed by a winless season in 2011.

A 7-3 record dipped to 5-5 the following fall and the 2016 team went 7-2 but dropped to 3-6 in Bakker’s debut season.

“One of the big things that we have hit on is ever since CCA has been a school, I think there were nine winning seasons, and every time there was a winning season it was hard to back it up with another winning season,” Bakker said. “Most of the time they had a winning season it would go back down into a .500 season. We really hit on to our kids even though we were successful last season it’s not given. Nothing is given to us we have to go earn it.”

Everything appears in place for the Clippers to end the program’s roller coaster history this fall.

Of the 13 returning starters returning for Clear Creek Amana five earned all-district honors a year ago when the Clippers lost to Decorah in the opening round of the 3A playoffs.

“If you ask that players they are all going to say we want to take that next step in the playoffs,” senior offensive lineman Eric Zierke said. “We didn’t really lose much. We have the people that have grown through the program and they know what to do.”

It all starts on defense for the Clippers who have built a reputation as a rugged defensive unit in two seasons under Bakker, a former Iowa State defensive back.

Six of the top nine tacklers from last year’s defense that held opponents to 12.4 points per game return led by senior linebacker JJ Denny who had a team-high 59.5 tackles as a junior.

“All of our guys up front we have back, we have almost all of our linebackers back and we are bringing up some good underclassmen so I think we are looking good right now,” Denny said. “I definitely think we pride ourselves on our defense because if they don’t score we can’t lose.”

Fellow senior linebackers Grant Jensen (50.5 tackles) and Zane Cunningham (37.5 tackles) return alongside Denny.

While junior TJ Bollers and senior Sam Noska are back on the defensive line.

A four-star recruit with an impressive list of scholarship offers, Bollers is a star at defensive end.

The 6-foot-3, 240-pound junior made 45.5 tackles including a team-high four sacks last season as a sophomore.

“For my personality and our coaches personality we have to build the defense first and the defense has to fly around be fast and get 11 guys to the football,” Bakker said. “We don’t have the biggest guys in the back end but if we get everybody to the football like we did last year good things will happen.”

The Clippers must replace graduated senior Andrew Rohret but bring back its top pass catcher in speedy senior Sam Stevens (27 receptions, 371 yards) and junior tailback Alex Figueroa (559 rushing yards).

Four starters return on an offensive line that helped the Clippers average 200 yards per game on the ground.

“We definitely feed off the defense,” Zierke said. “We just want to pound and pound and pound and we take a lot of that energy from the defense.”

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