LAKEPORT — Football is back. Better yet, the Clear Lake Cardinals walked off the field 33-8 winners over the Ferndale Wildcats on Friday night in the season opener for both teams at Don Owens Stadium in Lakeport.
There were lots of firsts for Clear Lake (1-0) in this one, the most important being that it was the first football game played in the county since 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020 season and while the virus is still around causing a fair share of havoc, at least high school football is back in the equation.
“I’m mostly happy we just came out here and had a good time,” Clear Lake head coach Mark Cory said of his players. “We can’t take anything for granted. Every game we get this year is special.”
While poor air quality caused by smoke from the state’s many active wildfires postponed Middletown’s season opener Friday night at home against St. Mary’s (that game has been rescheduled for Saturday at St. Mary’s High School in Albany at 2 p.m.), Lakeport’s air quality improved enough late Friday afternoon for the game to take place. Kickoff was moved up to 6:30 p.m. because there was no junior varsity game (Ferndale doesn’t have enough players) and to give the Wildcats an early start back on its long road trip home.
While the mercury reached nearly 100 degrees Friday afternoon, things had cooled off enough by kickoff (86 degrees) to make it a fairly pleasant evening for both squads. As things turned it out, it was a lot more pleasant for a Clear Lake team that turned three first-half Ferndale turnovers into three touchdowns and a 20-0 halftime lead.
“We were capitalizing on their turnovers,” Cory said.
On offense, Clear Lake’s passing game was on the mark when it had to be.
“When we really needed to the throw the ball it was caught,” Cory said.
Senior quarterback Jack Daskam went 11-for-17 for 142 yards and two touchdowns in his first varsity game and he also rushed for a score.
“He played well tonight and he’s going to continue to improve,” Cory said.
As is Clear Lake’s passing offense, according to Cory. “That’s going to be our calling card.”
Clear Lake’s passing attack in the first half gave way to more of a no-huddle running attack in the second half that was led by running back Ethan Maize with 10 carries for 59 yards. Sophomore Hank Ollenberger carried the ball six times and scored twice — on a 1-yard run late in the second quarter that put the Cardinals up 20-0 and again on a 17-yard run with 4:26 left in the game to make it 33-8.
Ollenberger’s first TD run and each of the Cardinals’ first two touchdowns were set up by Ferndale mistakes.
Jake Soderquist picked off a Ferndale pass late in the first quarter that gave the Cardinals a first-and-goal at the 9-yard line. One play later it was 7-0 as Daskam dodged the Ferndale pass rush and found Tyler Haskell alone over the middle for a touchdown. Cody Hayes kicked the extra point.
In the second quarter, it was fumble recovery by Diego Brewster-Ramirez that once again gave the Cardinals excellent field position at the Ferndale 16. After a motion penalty backed the Cardinals up five yards, Daskam hit Haskell in stride down the field for a 21-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
Clear Lake got the ball right back when Ferndale threw an interception on first down of its next offensive series, Ollenberger stepping in front of a Cole Carmesin pass and returning it to the Ferndale 48.
Three Daskam completions and two unsporstmanlike conduct penalties on Ferndale moved the ball to the Ferndale 4. Ollenberger punched gained three yards on first-and-goal before scoring on the next play.
Ferndale had trouble sustaining any type of drive against Clear Lake’s defense, which took away the middle from the Wildcats’ running game. More often than not the Wildcats found themselves in down-and-distance situations that were not advantageous. The Cardinals stopped Ferndale running backs for no yards or minus yardage 16 times.
The Wildcats’ deepest penetration into Clear Lake territory in the first half was to the 26, a drive that stalled on downs.
Ferndale made it to the Clear Lake 26 on a long drive to open the second half, but again ran out of downs. Clear Lake took over and marched 74 yards, most of that on the ground, before Daskam scrambled into the end zone from seven yards out to make it 26-0.
Ferndale finally reached the scoreboard in the fourth quarter when a 58-yard punt return by Jack Westfall gave the Wildcats a first-and-10 at the Clear Lake 12. Westfall scored three plays later on an 8-yard run. Carmesin ran in the two-point conversion.
While forcing four turnovers, the Cardinals didn’t commit a single one. Their defense applied pressure on Carmesin throughout the night and sacked him twice.
While certainly pleased with his team’s effort on defense, Cory also praised the play of his offensive line, which he said improved as the game progressed and featured solid outings from Ty Harmon and Dustin Scott in their first varsity game.
Clear Lake also came away from its season-opening win with no injuries.
“We’ll watch some game film tomorrow and start getting read for our next game,” Cory said.
Clear Lake travels to Arbuckle next Friday to play Pierce High School.
