MIRANDA — If losing 28-24 to the South Fork Cubs wasn”t bad enough in the falling rain on Friday night, the Clear Lake Cardinals suffered a much more serious loss in their non-league varsity football game at Miranda.
Two-way starters David Mansell and Gabe Oilar-Strong both sustained ankle injuries that sent them to the hospital for X-rays in the first quarter. In fact, Mansell and Oilar-Strong were hurt on the same play – a South Fork 88-yard touchdown pass that snapped a 0-0 tie just seconds into the second quarter.
“They start on both sides of the ball and special teams,” Clear Lake coach Milo Meyer said. “It”s a tough one.”
South Fork (2-2), a throwing team for the most part, also hurt Clear Lake (2-1) on the ground, scoring twice more on runs of 42 and 14 yards in the second quarter while opening up a 22-12 halftime lead.
“They exposed a weakness we didn”t realize we had … stopping the run,” Meyer said. “We couldn”t stop them.”
South Fork moved out to a 28-12 lead on a 9-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. Clear Lake closed to 28-18 on a Garrett Harwood 1-yard scoring run in the third quarter and to 28-24 on a Cole Brodnansky 1-yard run with 17 seconds left in the game. Brodnansky also scored on a 4-yard run for Clear Lake”s first points of the game.
The Cardinals” other score came on a 31-yard pass from Adrian Adams to Deshawn White midway through the second quarter to make it 16-12.
Marty Sugimoto”s 88 yards on seven carries spearheaded Clear Lake”s running game. Adams finished 4-for-11 for 71 yards.
