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Clovers end season with a bang, finish 10th in WIC
All seasons must come to an end.
But how a team handles a loss in its final game of the regular season says more than what can be observed in the stat book.
The fighting Clovers (1-8, 1-5 Western Indiana Conference) took on the visiting Wildcats of South Vermillion (3-6, 2-4 WIC) Friday in a battle for ninth place overall in the Western Indiana Conference.
This East-versus-West crossover game saw 83 total points scored but, unfortunately for the Clovers, 63 belonged to the Wildcats as South Vermillion went on to win 63-20 and clinch ninth place overall in the conference.
Although Cloverdale came away from Friday's game without a "W," coach Tony Meyer was positive and upbeat about the improvement he's seen with such a young team (14 freshmen).
"This was a tale of two halves," Meyer said after the game. "We played a great first half, then we started making every goofy miscue we could think of. But when (South Vermillion) got to scoring, we bounced right back."
Bounce back, they did.
South Vermillion was the first to score Friday when sophomore Conner Dunegan hooked up with fellow sophomore Jacob Handley in the end zone for an early Wildcat seven-point lead.
Cloverdale answered with a two-yard run from freshman quarterback Parker Watts, capping off a drive that consumed nearly four minutes of the game clock. However, South Vermillion returned the favor with a 70-yard kickoff return by Dunegan to make the score 14-7 before entering the second quarter.
Cloverdale began chewing up major yardage to begin the second with freshman running back Trey Henry. Henry scored on a one-yard run to tie the game at 14 each. The hard-fought touchdown included a pop in the end zone that fans won't soon forget.
Two touchdowns by the Wildcats late in the second quarter put South Vermillion up 28-14 before the break. Scoring for the Wildcats was Dunegan with a one-yard rush, followed by a two-yard dart on the Wildcats' next possession from Dunegan to senior wide-out Hunter Thornton to give the game a 28-14 in favor of South Vermillion before halftime.
"We got to the end of the half and made two mistakes that ended up in touchdowns for (South Vermillion)," Meyer said. "This is a game that we should have been in at the half, maybe 21-14, but it went to 28-14 instead -- that was a little demoralizing -- but we've dealt with that all year and we saw some good things."
It was all South Vermillion in the second half, scoring first with a 65-yard pick-six by Dunegan to make the score 35-14. Dunegan again hooked up with Thornton for a five-yard touchdown strike on the following possession to give the game a 43-14 score after a failed point-after attempt resulted in a two-yard, two-point conversion from holder Dunegan.
"I thought our defense played a great first half and two of those (South Vermillion) touchdowns were against the offense -- I get that," Meyer said. "But we didn't put (the defense) in a very good spot in the second half."
With just four minutes left to play in the third quarter, Dunegan yet again hooked up with wide-out Thornton for a two-yard strike. Upon missing the point-after, the scoreboard read 49-14 in favor of South Vermillion.
However, Cloverdale would not be shut out in the second half.
With just a minute remaining in the third, Clover quarterback Watts connected with sophomore receiver Tyler Kaeff for a quick six points. The point-after failed, making the score 49-20, Wildcats.
Two more scores by South Vermillion highlighted the fourth quarter. Just when it looked like the Clovers were forcing a Wildcat three-and-out, Wildcat punter Thornton faked the kick and took the ball 77-yards to the end zone to make it 56-20. Then, on the Wildcats' next possession, Dunegan ran in a 26-yard touchdown to take a commanding lead and give the game its final score at 63-20 in favor of South Vermillion.
"We're (becoming) more competitive, though we didn't show it on the scoreboard," Meyer said. "We made some youthful mistakes -- and it bites you in the back side.
"You have to be realistic," Meyer added. "It's easy for everybody to get negative. I think a lot of coaches do when things aren't going their way. But when you step back and you look at what they've done this year, you have to be positive."
Cloverdale returns to the gridiron on Friday, Oct. 23 in the first round of sectional action against the visiting North Putnam Cougars (7-2, 4-2 WIC).
At Cloverdale High School
South Vermillion 14 14 21 14 -- 63
Cloverdale 7 7 6 0 -- 20
Scoring
1st Quarter
SV 6:05 Dunegan 20-yard pass to Thornton (XP good) 7-0
CD 2:01 Watts 2-yard rush (XP good) 7-7
SV 1:48 Dunegan 70-yard kickoff return (XP good) 14-7
2nd Quarter
CD Henry 1-yard rush (XP good) 14-14
SV Dunegan 1-yard rush (XP good) 21-14
SV 0:14 Dunegan pass to Thornton (XP good) 28-14
3rd Quarter
SV 8:42 Dunegan 70-yard interception return 35-14
SV 8:06 Dunegan 10-yard pass to Thornton (Dunegan run good) 43-14
SV 4:02 Dunegan 1-yard pass to Thornton (XP no good) 49-14
CD 1:53 Watts 55-yard pass to Kaeff (XP no good) 49-20
4th Quarter
SV 9:01 Thornton 77-yard fake punt rush (XP good) 56-20
SV 8:17 Dunegan 26-yard rush (XP good) 63-20