LAKEPORT — Clear Lake spotted St. Helena an early 7-0 lead before bouncing back to beat the Saints 26-7 in a North Central League I junior varsity football game on Friday in Lakeport.
Clear Lake improved to 5-0 in league play and 8-0 overall with two games remaining, both at home. The Cardinals host Kelseyville on Friday before closing out their season Nov. 2 against Middletown.
St. Helena didn”t waste any time grabbing the lead against Clear Lake as quarterback Dominic Collins and wide receiver Jesus Hernandez hooked up a 67-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage.
“It was a deep pattern to the outside and our corner and safety got tangled up, so once Hernandez made the catch he had nothing but open field in front of him,” Clear Lake coach Tom O”Rourke said.
After fumbling away the ball deep in Saints territory on their first possession, the Cardinals forced a St. Helena punt that Doobie Jones returned 35 yards to the St. Helena 15-yard line. Facing a third-and-five from the 15, Marty Sugimoto bounced outside on a designed off-tackle play and scored. Cole Brodnansky”s extra-point kick evened the score at 7.
“Deshawn White (wideout) saw Marty”s move and threw a great block to clear a lane for him to score,” O”Rourke said.
Clear Lake was on the move again after forcing another punt in the second quarter. The Cardinals drove 84 yards in 11 plays, using up more than seven minutes on the clock, before the Saints” Mark Martin picked off a Gabe Wolfin pass in the end zone.
The Cardinals returned the favor two plays later when John Vertrees stepped in front a Collins swing pass and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown to put Clear Lake in front to stay.
“It was a huge play for us and John read it perfectly,” O”Rourke said.
On the ensuing kickoff, Clear Lake”s White stripped a St. Helena player of the ball at the 21, scooped it up and returned it for a touchdown, the second week in a row he”s done that. The Cardinals misfired on the two-point conversion but still led 19-7 at the half.
Turnovers and punts dominated the third quarter and it wasn”t until the fourth quarter that the Cardinals finally added to their lead on a Sugimoto 25-yard interception return for a touchdown.
“We picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for celebrating the TD, so Cole had to kick the PAT from the 25. He made it,” O”Rourke said.
Sugimoto ended up with 81 yards on 14 carries while Brodnansky added 58 on 12 carries. Brodnansky finished with five solo tackles, three assists and a fumble recovery. Vertrees, along with his interception return for a touchdown, had four tackles and one sack. White and Demarco Metcalfe also added sacks.
