ST. HELENA >> Down by as many as 16 points in the third quarter, the Clear Lake Cardinals played their best game of the season to stun the St. Helena Saints 50-44 in North Central League I varsity football action on Friday night at St. Helena.
“One of the wildest games I’ve ever been a part of,” Clear Lake coach Mark Cory said. “My kids wouldn’t go away.”
Sam Long’s 2-yard touchdown run with 4 minutes remaining snapped a 44-all tie and proved to the be the difference for the Cardinals (4-4 league, 5-5 overall), who needed a win to qualify for the North Coast Section Division V playoffs as an at-large team.
Clear Lake’s defense stopped St. Helena (4-4) twice in the final minutes to seal the victory, the first time on a Cameron Borg interception and later on downs.
Long rushed for 134 yards and four touchdowns while quarterback Alex Adams ran for two scores and passed for two more, both to wide receiver Austin Davis.
“One of our goals was to reach the playoffs and we did that,” Clear Lake’s first-year coach said of a team that is just one year removed from a 2-8 overall record and a last-place finish in the NCL I standings.
In fact, the Cardinals forfeited two games last season because they didn’t have enough players and one of those was to St. Helena, a team that hadn’t allowed 50 points to an opponent since a 2010 playoff loss to Middletown (56-0).
“That’s a good team we beat,” Cory said. “That’s the best team we’ve beaten all season.”
Clear Lake’s drive to the playoffs included a 12-6 overtime victory over Cloverdale a week ago in Lakeport.
“The last two weeks have been crazy,” Cory said. “I guess you can call us the cardiac Cardinals.”
In addition to picking off a pass in the fourth quarter, Borg had 92 yards rushing on 11 carries for the Cardinals. Adams finished with 74 yards rushing.
