Douglas Miles

Your Prep Sports

TIFFIN – After an unsatisfactory performance in its week 2 loss, Clear Creek Amana renewed its commitment to its ground game.

A week after running for just 23 yards, CCA senior tailback Gage Freeman sprinted all over Clipper Field Friday night with 182 rushing yards, including two long touchdown runs of 67 and 83 yards as CCA routed Washington 48-14.

“We have to be able to run the football to be successful,” first-year Clear Creek Amana coach Matt Haddy said. “We have a lot of weapons in the passing game, as well, but it has to start for us up front. We have got to be able to run the football. We have got a pretty good running back back there that is capable of doing a lot of different things and we have got to give him an opportunity to do those things. We did a really good job of that tonight.”

Freeman got things going for CCA on the first play of the Clippers’ second offensive possession. With his team leading, 3-0, Freeman took the ball from quarterback Ben Swails and quickly found the right sideline and outran the Washington defense for the 67-yard score.

“I just got a heck of a block from (junior offensive lineman) Caleb Allan,” Freeman said. “It was a great run. Just felt the breeze.”

After Washington (1-2) found some offensive footing and cut into the Clippers’ lead at 13-8, a CCA holding penalty deep in its own territory appeared to give the Clippers a chance to take a knee and retreat to the halftime locker room with their five-point advantage.

Not this bunch.

“Our coach has great trust in us,” Freeman said. “We run through plays every day and they just have great trust. We came with a game plan and stuck with it.”

The game plan called for another Freeman run in the final four seconds of the first half, and he again delivered in a big way with an 83-yard scoring scamper that sent the Clippers to halftime with a full head of steam and a 20-8 lead.

“That was huge,” Haddy said. “You go from being up 13-8, still a one-score game going into halftime, knowing you get the ball back which has a much more easy feeling. But to bust one like that, not only is it an energy-bringer for our guys, but it is a knife on them. It really is a back-breaker for them.”

Freeman posted just one carry for six yards in the second half as he worked through leg cramps. By that point in the contest, it was time for the CCA defense to put on a show.

After turning away a pair of Washington fourth-down attempts deep in CCA territory in the first half, the Clippers’ defense wreaked even more havoc in the second. Linebackers Ethan Pegump and Sam Schneider each recovered Washington fumbles, linebacker Bryce Mougin posted a sack and junior defensive back Jackson Schmidt blocked a punt.

“Just making sure we communicate,” junior defensive back Reece Hoffman said. “Staying on the same page with everybody.”

Hoffman provided the exclamation mark to the stout defensive effort with a stunning 102-yard interception for a touchdown that extended the Clippers’ lead to 41-8 less than 20 seconds into the fourth quarter.

“I saw that tight end come out,” Hoffman said. “Earlier in the game, they threw a pop pass to him and I was looking for it this time. They tried to go back to it and I was there.”

CCA senior quarterback Ben Swails accounted for a pair of second-half touchdowns with a 47-yard scoring strike to junior receiver Andrew Schlemme and a six-yard scoring run. Schmidt added a spectacular 35-yard score after replacing Swails under center when it appeared the Washington defense had him stopped for a loss.

“It was really good to see us be able to run the football with a little bit more consistency tonight,” Haddy said.

Washington quarterback Ethan Patterson threw for 103 yards and ran for 68, including a 28-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

CCA (2-1) will close out the non-district portion of its schedule next Friday with a trip to Liberty High, while Washington will entertain Fort Madison.

“It is going to take everything,” Hoffman said. “We need to stack good practices. We need to have a great week of practice. Carrying momentum is huge. Big rivalry game and we need to get it done because we have a hard stretch of games coming up. We just need to focus, keep our head down. Nobody is believing in us but we believe in ourselves.”

                                  WAS               CCA

First Downs                12                    10

Rushes-yards              31-125             39-287

Comp-Att-Int              11-20-1           7-15-0

Passing yards              103                  98

Total yards                  228                  385

Punts-avg.                   4-27.3              2-41.0

Fumbles-lost               3-2                   1-1

Penalties-yards           4-40                 9-85

Washington               0   8   0   6  –  14

Clear Creek Amana  10 10 14 14  – 48

CCA – Grant Kruse 29 Field Goal

CCA – Gage Freeman 67 run (Kruse kick)

CCA – Kruse 32 Field Goal

WAS – Ethan Patterson 28 run (Patterson run)

CCA – Gage Freeman 83 run (Kruse kick)

CCA – Andrew Schlemme 47 pass from Ben Swails (Kruse kick)

CCA – Swails 6 run (Kruse kick)

CCA – Reece Hoffman 102 interception return (Kruse kick)

CCA – Jackson Schmidt 35 run (Gabe Bormann kick)

WAS – Ethan Zieglowsky 8 run (Kick failed)

Individual Statistics

RUSHING – Washington: Javaughn Stuart 7-15, Ethan Patterson 16-68, Ethan Zieglowsky 7-28, John Prochaska 1-14; Clear Creek Amana: Gage Freeman 12-182, Ben Swails 8-29, Xavier Williams 6-12, Jackson Schmidt 7-44, Reece Hoffman 2-1, Gabe Bormann 3-17, Thomas Dunn 1-2.

PASSING – Washington: Ethan Patterson 11-20-1 103; Clear Creek Amana: Ben Swails 7-15-0 98.

RECEIVING – Washington: Jacob Miller 5-39, Evan Miller 2-13, Austin Rebling 1-7, Lucas Kroll 1-20, Javaughn Stuart 1-6, Kasen Bailey 1-18; Clear Creek Amana: Reece Hoffman 1-9, Gage Freeman 3-24, Bryce Mougin 2-18, Andrew Schlemme 1-47.

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