LAPEL- Big plays and lack of execution were the chief reasons Lapel’s season ended Friday with a 42-13 loss to Clinton Central in a Class 1A sectional semifinal.
Clinton Central scored six touchdowns, all of which were on runs of at least 14 yards, and two of which exceeded 50 yards. Clinton Central ran for 213 yards on the ground.
“We missed some tackles,” said Lapel coach Nate Andrews. “The field conditions had something to do with it and their physical play also had something to do with it.”
With a stiff wind and driving rain, field conditions rapidly deteriorated. Lapel fumbled the ball nine times, but luckily only lost possession twice. Lapel also was hurt by three bad punt attempts into the wind.
“I don’t know who the weather bothered more, but we didn’t adapt very well and that’s disappointing,” Andrews said.
Lapel ended the season with a 7-4 record. Clinton Central improved to 7-4 and earned a date in the sectional final against the winner of Guerin Catholic and Clinton Prairie. Clinton Central has not won a sectional since 2002.
On the third play of the game, Clinton Central’s Cody Cannaday took an inside handoff and found a big hole. He cut toward the sideline and beat everyone down the field for a 77-yard touchdown.
Lapel caught a break after a Clinton Central punt went nine yards following its second drive.
Shelby Weeks got two hard-fought yards on a fourth-and-two at the Clinton Central 24 to keep the drive alive. On the next play, Sam Foust pitched the ball to Zach Farley. The defense swarmed to Farley, but the junior threw the ball to an open Chandler Guion for a 22-yard touchdown.
Against the wind midway through the second quarter, Lapel was forced to punt. The snap was too high and Guion had to run back to the Lapel 5 yard line to get the ball. He recovered and still got off a punt but it went sideways. The end result was a negative 11-yard punt and Clinton Central took over at the Lapel 16.
The offense needed one play to score off a counter handoff to Jordan Woodward.
Lapel failed to move the ball and punted it right back to Clinton Central. Jade Crum ran an end-around for 26 yards on the first play and then David Griffy scored on a 16-yard run up the middle to make it 21-7.
Lapel got off to a terrible start in the third quarter. Bad exchanges led to two fumbles on the opening two plays though Lapel recovered the ball both times. Guion then dropped the punt snap. He attempted a pass but no receiver was near where it was thrown.
Clinton Central took over and scored on its second play on a 20 yard run from Cannaday.
“We wanted to do what we expected to do, which was block and find the correct angles,” Andrews said regarding what he wanted to change in the second half. “For some reason we didn’t have the right angles tonight.”
Farley was a bright spot in the second half with two more long passes and a nine-yard touchdown run off a quarterback draw early in the fourth quarter.
But any inkling about a comeback ended on Clinton Central’s next play when Griffy took off 55 yards for his second touchdown.
High School Sports
Clinton Central knocks out Lapel
Bulldogs fall 42-13 in sectional semis
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Tribe win over Spartans 50 - 46
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Arabians advance after 55-45 win over Cougars
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