Clovers ready for rematch with Cascade

Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Cloverdale senior Taylor Mescall (72) bats down a pass during a game earlier this season. The Clovers' defense will be tested against the versatile offense of Cascade on Friday. (Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)

CLOVERDALE -- It's been a grueling regular season for every football team, and the Cloverdale squad started off shorthanded with just enough players to staff both sides of the ball in practice.

But as the year has worn on, the gritty club has toughened up and used their small numbers to help build a big heart.

That will be tested on Friday when the Clovers (1-8, 0-5 WCC) host West Central Conference rival Cascade (5-4, 2-3 WC), a team that beat Cloverdale 48-19 earlier this season.

The earlier game came back in week four, nearly a season ago and seemingly much longer, and both teams have come a long way in the time since.

The Clovers battled through injuries and tough losses, and have come out on the other side with optimism. They're starting to get healthier, and despite the loss last week, they're playing some of the most complete football right now that they have all season.

In the season finale against North Putnam, Cloverdale had just two penalties and forced the Cougars to fumble twice and throw one interception. The three-point deficit was the closest loss Cloverdale has had all year.

Alternatively, Cascade enters the playoffs as a struggling ball club that has been outscored 84-14 in the past two weeks, losses to the first- and second-place teams in the WCC, South Putnam and Greencastle.

More than the loss, the Cadets have been beaten up. The team has lost several players to injuries in the past two games and leading receiver Zach Batts was ineffective after going down early last week against the Eagles.

Cascade had incentive to battle in the past two games, with a chance to push for a second- or third-place finish in the conference, but their deficiencies were put on full display -- and film -- for the Clovers to study and prepare.

Beating the same team twice in a season is a challenging task, particularly for intra-conference squads that have so many common opponents and so much history.

Playing Cascade offers nearly as advantageous an opportunity as Cloverdale could have hoped for this year, with the team bumping up from Class A to Class 2A prior to the season.

It's a difficult challenge for the Clovers, but one the team is ready for. The team has focused on improvement and preparation, rather than results. They've gotten better, but Friday's game will be a test to see by just how much.

After the week four game, Cloverdale lamented the three non-offensive touchdowns it allowed from Cascade. The team seems to have cleaned up some of those little things and if the swing plays go the Clovers' way this time, it could be a whole new game.

Cloverdale hosts Cascade on Friday at 7 p.m.

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