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Kickoff return sparks Eagles to win
Meyer: 'We're not the same old Cloverdale'
CLOVERDALE -- The kickoff return can be one of the most exciting plays in football, and can be used as a huge momentum-changer in the right spot during a game.
Trailing Cloverdale 8-0 midway through the second quarter on Friday night, South Putnam got a huge 83-yard TD return from sophomore Aidan LeBlanc to start a 26-point run over the remainder of the game and pace the Eagles to a 26-8 win in high school football action.
"That was something," South Putnam coach Nathan Aker said. "We talked about it, and we had the double wedge perfectly in place, Aidan just broke through and took off."
Aker said the play was "perfect timing" since the Clovers were in command for the first 17 minutes of the game.
"Our seniors were a little down, having let them score," he said. "But the young guys came through with a score and everybody got back up."
Aker was especially pleased with LeBlanc's mental approach to the game, since he had started at linebacker in the scrimmage last week against Indianapolis Lutheran but did not start against Cloverdale.
"That's just a great kid who makes a play despite not starting," Aker said. "Many times in that situation, people will go in the tank. It's a credit to him and how he has been raised and he made the play when he got the chance."
The first quarter was played to a scoreless standoff, and ended with the Eagles threatening deep in Clover territory.
The Eagles got as far as the Cloverdale 17, before the Clovers' defense held and forced South Putnam to give up the ball on downs.
The Clovers drove from their own 29 to a score in 10 plays, with junior quarterback Drew Boyette scoring from two yards out.
Cloverdale got two huge runs from Tyce Jackson on the drive, with Boyette also picking up first downs on runs of 12 and 13 yards and completing a 16-yard pass to tight end Nick Winders.
There was excitement on the Clover sidelines, as the team was potentially on track to pick up its first win over its nearby county rival since 2006.
Then came the kickoff return.
To add insult to injury, the Clovers fumbled after a short runback on the ensuing kickoff and South Putnam marched 33 yards in five plays to take the lead for good at 12-8 on a 14-yard run by Kyle Shaffer.
For Cloverdale coach Tony Meyer, the turnover was the first of many which would keep his team out of the win column.
"We scored first, and we did a lot of good things right from the get-go," Meyer said. "Those three turnovers on special teams really got us. They resulted in 20 points, and we lost 26-8."
South Putnam maintained its four-point lead at halftime.
A failed onside-kick attempt by Cloverdale gave the Eagles the ball at their own 44, but the Clover defense held the Eagles without a score. The Clovers went without a first down on their next drive, failing to convert on a fourth-and-two attempt from their own 39.
The Eagles went 36 yards in seven plays, with Shaffer scoring from six yards out with 4:10 left in the third quarter for a 19-8 lead.
Cloverdale was stopped on downs on its next drive, but forced the Eagles to punt on the ensuing drive. The Clovers muffed the punt, however, and John Thibodeau was quickly there to fall on the loose ball.
Shaffer ran it in again from 17 yards out on the next play to complete the evening's scoring.
"We didn't let up the whole game," Meyer said. "We are going to go out and hit people and play good, quality football.
"We're not the same old Cloverdale."
Aker credited Cloverdale's defense with keeping his team off the scoreboard for so long in the first half.
"They blitz a lot, in a lot of different fronts, and that takes some time to adjust to," he said. "Once you figure it out, you can make some big plays.
"I was proud of our guys. When you get down early, you have to suck it up and let that second wind kick in with our conditioning. That was evident in the second half."
Aker also pointed out the defensive contributions of junior defensive back Christian Zeffel, who had both an interception and a fumble recovery in the second half.
"He made an outstanding grab to seal the game," Aker said. "What a great job. He's another one of those new guys who hadn't ever started a game in varsity football ever."
Meyer wanted to give credit to his coordinators for their roles in the execution of the game plan.
"That defense didn't give up those points -- those were all a result of special teams," he said. "[Defensive coordinator] Tom Winders and [offensive coordinator] Taulbee Jackson both did an outstanding job.
"The problems we had are fixable," Meyer added. "The words we use are 'sanding and polishing'."
Meyer was proud of what he terms a "great group of kids" and feels his team is on its way to improvement.
"I wouldn't trade any of our kids," he said. "One of our goals this year is to hold everyone under 30 points, and we did that. Step one. Should have kept them under 10.
"We played a heckuva lot better than that scoreboard showed."
South Putnam 0 12 7 7 -- 26
Cloverdale 8 0 0 0 -- 8
C -- Boyette 2 run (Jackson pass from Boyette)
SP -- LeBlanc 83 kickoff return (run failed)
SP --Shaffer 21 run (pass failed)
SP -- Shaffer 6 run (Workman kick)
SP -- Shaffer 17 run (Workman kick)
SP C
First downs 12 7
Rushes-yards 38-162 38-149
Passing yards 97 20
Comp-Att-Int 4-10-0 2-5-1
Total offense 259 169
Punts-Avg 2-29.0 1-44.0
Fumbles-lost 0-0 3-3
Penalties-yards 6-69 2-20
Individual statistics
Rushing -- South Putnam: Shaffer 22-129, Scott 4-20, Plunkett 11-(-13), LeBlanc 1-1. Cloverdale: Jackson 15-58, Kaeff 8-48, Davis 5-2, Henry 1-7, Boyette 9-25.
Passing -- South Putnam: Plunkett 4-10-0 97. Cloverdale: 2-5-1 20.
Receiving -- South Putnam: Scott 1-16, Higgins 1-48, Shaffer 1-5, Gregory 1-28. Cloverdale: Winders 2-20.
Next games -- South Putnam (1-0) plays at Brown County on Friday night, while Cloverdale (1-0) plays at Greencastle.