Cloverdale sloppy in rainy loss to Cascade 48-19

Cloverdale freshman Duke Duff drops back to pass before throwing a long touchdown to senior Wade Warren (86) on Friday. (Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT)

CLOVERDALE -- Overcast skies and persistent drizzle set the stage for Cloverdale's second West Central Conference match-up of the season against Cascade.

The hosts honored the 1992 sectional-winning team at halftime but the Cadets were less welcoming on the field. Zac Butler rushed for 182 yards and the Cadets profited from three defensive and special teams scores on the way to a 48-19 win.

Cloverdale head coach Jarrod Duff said the score line was misleading as to how the game actually went.

"I don't think that there is any doubt that this is probably the best football game that a Cloverdale football team has played on this field in the last three or four years," Duff said. "In no way is the score indicative of how we played. Overall, I thought we played fantastic."

Cascade wasted no time in getting their first score through quarterback Sawyer Donovan's one-yard run. An interception by Brock Stephenson on Cloverdale's first drive set up the Cadets in Clover territory and after five straight Butler runs, Zach Batts scored from eight yards out to give the Cadets a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

Max Secrest coughed the ball up on the Clovers' next possession, only for Butler to return the ball back four plays later.

The hosts found their way on to the scoreboard on the following drive, finishing an 11-play effort when Andrew Howard rumbled 26 yards for a score that cut the deficit in half at 14-7.

Cascade punted off their next possession and Cloverdale followed suit, only to watch Batts return their punt 45 yards for a touchdown.

Things went further south on the Clovers' next possession after Howard and Mark Osmialowski mistimed an option pitch, resulting in a fumble that Dylan Musgrove ran back 28-yards for another Cadets score.

Cloverdale might have gone into hiding after the fumble return but Duff said the squad showed fight when they needed it most.

"During a game ... bad things are going to happen and you've got to play the next play," Duff said. "Tonight was a perfect example. We got no breaks. We had so many things go against us.

"There were a couple of fumbles that we felt we recovered and we didn't get the call. There was a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage that went straight into Butler's hands. There was a fumble, a bad pitch, a dropped pitch and it bounces right into their hands and they score.

"We were at a point where it was 28-7 and everything was going against us in the second quarter," Duff added. "We had an opportunity to quit and for this to turn into an ugly game. We fought. We competed like crazy."

The hosts responded with a quick 63-yard scoring drive. Duke Duff hit Wade Warren for a 20-yard touchdown catch that closed the gap to 28-13.

After the break, Cloverdale again marched the ball on the Cadet defense. Howard nearly scored on a 45-yard scamper but was brought down by Butler on the one-yard line. Howard walked in on the next play and though the Clovers missed the two-point conversion, the squad had momentum trailing 28-19.

Cascade took the shot and responded with a grinding 14-play drive, one in which the Cadets fumbled twice, had a touchdown called off and eventually scored off a Donovan fumble.

The Cadet quarterback mishandled the snap at the one-yard line but was fortunate to watch the ball roll towards the goal line and Donovan dived before any Clover defender could get on the ball.

Any chance of a comeback was squashed on the next snap when Lucas Stoutenour tipped Duff's first down throw into Butler's hands. Butler jetted 30 yards to the end zone and what had been a nine-point deficit had quickly turned into a 22-point hole for the Clovers.

Cascade finished the scoring in the fourth quarter on a bubble screen from Donovan to Stephenson from four yards out and eventually ground out the clock that took the Cadets to 2-1 in WCC play.

The loss dropped the Clovers to 0-2 in the conference and 1-4 overall but Duff was impressed by what the squad showed Friday night.

"It was a big step for our program," Duff said. "I couldn't be more proud of these kids. They fought and competed like we expected them to do tonight. I'm extremely proud of them."

Next week presents a new challenge for Cloverdale in the form of the bruising running attack of South Putnam. While the Clovers didn't get the win against Cascade, Duff said the squad had plenty of spirit to bring into next week's preparation.

"They can take a ton of encouragement into next week," Duff said. "We're going to prepare for next Friday just like we do all the time. We're going to try to get better at tackling, blocking and fundamental things. We're continuing to do that.

"We talk about playing the right way, getting better every day and when we come out on the field, we're seeing that the work that we're putting in at practice is paying off."

At Cloverdale
Cascade.............14 14 13 7 -- 48
Cloverdale............0 13 6 0 -- 19