Jon Gremmels
Herald Sports Editor
September 13, 2008 02:12 am
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BURLINGTON — When rain is falling and a football field becomes a bog, one huge worry often creeps into coaches’ heads. The thought of a routine play becoming a vital mistake is an overriding fear.
That concern came true for coach Lee Camp and his Clinton River Kings on Friday night. An errant snap in the shotgun formation put the River Kings deep into their own end of the field, and a partial punt block moments later set up Burlington 9 yards from the end zone. That was the crack the Grayhounds needed, as their score and extra point 26 seconds later were all they needed for a 7-6 victory that handed the River Kings their first loss of the season at a rain-soaked Bracewell Stadium.
The two key plays came in a short sequence in the second quarter. On first down at the Clinton 20-yard line, the snap got past quarterback Jake Mangler. He dived for the ball to keep it in Clinton’s possession, but the loss pushed the River Kings back to their 5-yard line. After a run was stopped for no game and an incomplete pass, Kaleb Frazier’s punt was partially blocked, and Burlington took over at the Clinton 9. The Grayhounds (3-0) needed just two plays to score, both runs by Joseph Range, with the second one scoring from 2 yards out with 8 minutes, 32 seconds remaining in the first half. Kieffer Lietsch then added the decisive extra point.
“We were pretty disappointed about the touchdown,” Clinton’s Tyler Redman said. “Overall, the defense played a real good game.”
Unfortunately for Clinton (2-1), it wasn’t a night for offenses to do much, and that amplified the mistakes.
The field, which was mostly mud between the 40s, made moving the ball a tough proposition.
“The middle was way soupier than I ever thought,” Camp said.
“You sank down,” Redman said. “The sink holes were terrible. You were slipping and sliding.”Neither team moved the ball well. The River Kings managed just 138 total yards, Burlington 163.
“I thought our defense stepped up and played well,” Camp said. “Our two tackles (Austin Krick and Matt Murphy) again got a lot of surge.”
After being limited to 9 total yards in the first half, Clinton opened the second half with an 80-yard drive that resulted in the first points scored against the Grayhounds this season.
A touchback put the River Kings on their 20-yard line, but David Johnson wasted no time showing the new half was a fresh start for Clinton. He ripped off a 13-yard run on the first play from scrimmage. Two plays later, quarterback Jake Mangler juggled the snap but came up with the ball and broke off an 15-yard gain to the Burlington 47.
“We were really spreading it out, and I think they were confused,” Camp said.
Johnson added 3 more on the next play, then Mangler ran for 9 and Ty Hatheway and Maurice Walker added back-to-back 5 yards run. A penalty gave Clinton a first-and-5 at the 20, then Hatheway found a hole as he ran off right tackle, and he rambled in for a 20-yard touchdown run with 8:28 remaining in the third quarter. But the River Kings couldn’t convert the extra-point kick, leaving Burlington with the one-point edge.
“I thought we were going to score again,” Camp said, saying that he thought about going for a two-point conversion but decided against it. “We wouldn’t have attempted to kick it if I thought we wouldn’t get it.”
Clinton avoided another disaster moments later. The punt snap bounced to Kaleb Frazier, and he had trouble handling it as the Grayhounds defense swarmed him for a 10-yard loss to the Clinton 24. The River Kings escaped further damage, though, when they stopped Burlington on downs at the 18.
Burlington made a final push to increase its score in the fourth quarter, moving into Clinton territory, helped by a personal foul against the River Kings. But, third-and 5 from the 33, Burlington quarterback Jack Flaherty launched a deep pass down the left side that Redman intercepted.
“That was a big play for him,” Camp said.
Still, the River Kings were 93 yards from scoring with just 4:04 left. They made the final four minutes exciting, though, too exciting for the Burlington players and fans.
First, Mangler rolled left and ran for 19 yards for a first down at the 26. Moments later, facing a fourth-and 2 from the 34, Mangler found Evan Kenney coming back to the ball on the left side for a 7-yard gain. Next came a completion over the middle to Redman for 11 yards and another first down.
A sack set the River Kings back 9 yards, and soon they faced a fourth-and-12 from the Burlington 47. A defensive holding penalty moved the ball to the 37, and David Johnson made a leaping catch over the middle for 15 yards gain to the 25. But the drive stalled, as Mangler threw three interceptions and was caught for a 2-yard loss on the play, and Burlington survived as it ran out the final 21 seconds.
“We had some momentum going,” Redman said. “We just couldn’t pull it out.”
Football
Burlington 7, Clinton 6
Clinton0060—6
Burlington 0700—7
Second quarter
B — Joseph Range 2 run (Kieffer Lietsch kick), 8:32
Third quarter
C — Ty Hatheway 20 run (kick failed), 8:28
ClinBurl
First downs 128
Rushes-yards38-9944-124
Passing yards3939
Comp.-att.-int4-17-04-12-1
Punts-avg.7-30.35-25.4
Fumbles-lost7-13-1
Penalties-yards4-304-35
Individual statistics
Rushing — Clinton, David Johnson 15-30, Jake Mangler 13-44, Ty Hatheway 7-45, Maurice Walker 1-5, Team 2-minus-25; Burlington, Jack Flaherty 12-22, Joseph Range 9-29, Tyler Gustafson 5-26, Jake Riley 5-13, Jordan Webb 8-11, Ryan Bradley 2-12, Alec Steward 1-7, Trey Ramsey 1-3.
Passing — Clinton, Mangler 4-16-0, 39 yards, Tyler Morehead 0-1-0; Burlington, Flaherty 4-12-1, 39 yards.
Receiving — Clinton, Tyler Redman 2-17, Johnson 1-15, Evan Kenney 1-7; Burlington, Brock Anderson 2-21, Webb 1-9, Riley 1-9.
Sophomores — Clinton 6, Burlington 6
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