LAKEPORT — One week after running for two touchdowns and passing for two more in the first half of a 49-0 win over Lower Lake, Clear Lake High School senior quarterback Nathan Velez gave an encore performance in the first half of the Cardinals” 47-0 North Central League I South victory over the Cloverdale Eagles on Friday night in Lakeport.
This time, Velez rushed for three scores — runs of 34, 30 and 10 yards — and passed for a fourth TD — a 25-yard toss to Jameson Holder. Velez added a fourth rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter on a 14-yard run.
Clear Lake (1-1 South, 4-4) led 13-0 after one quarter and 25-0 at the intermission.
Defenisve lineman Mark Dantes” fumble recovery, that coming after he knocked down a pitched ball, set up the Cardinals” final score of the half.
The Cardinals, winners of back-to-back games for the first time this season, handed winless Cloverdale (0-2, 0-8) its fourth shutout loss in 2006. The Eagles have been outscored 282-39.
Velez rushed for 88 yards and threw for another 74 on 2-of-4 passing.
“Nathan was really running the offense well,” Clear Lake coach Glenn “Milo” Meyer said. “And he had a couple of big ones (runs) called back. You kind of wonder where we would be had he been our quarterback at the beginning of the season. Who knows?”
Velez played running back the first five games of the season while recovering from a broken thumb.
He also made an impact on the defensive side of the ball, coming up from his safety position to make two sacks.
Derek Holt was Clear Lake”s leading rusher with 114 yards on nine carries, including TD runs of 1 and 36 yards in the fourth quarter.
Cloverdale had just 50 total yards, five of those rushing. It was the second straight shutout for the Cardinals” defense, which forced four turnovers and had three sacks.
Cloverdale”s best scoring chance came in the first quarter but Collin Coddington blocked a 27-yard field goal.
