Cloverdale, Cascade to battle for sectional finals berth Friday
After Cloverdale High School's football team defeated South Vermillion last week to advance to the second round of sectional action, coach Jamie Steffy said his team took a lot of pride in moving on.
But there is little time for pride or celebration now as the Clovers (3-7) will face conference rival Cascade (9-1) at home Friday night.
Despite a defensive effort last week in which the Clovers forced four first-half turnovers and limited the Wildcats' top receiver, senior Joe Bush, to just three first-half receptions, CHS may have its hands full with the Cadets' offense.
Cascade averages 39.9 points per game on the offensive end while allowing its opponents only 9.1.
Cloverdale's offensive average this season is just 13 points per game.
The Clovers surrender an average of 22.1 to their opponents.
But if senior Christian Cheatham can pull off a repeat performance of last week's 34-20 win over the Wildcats, putting points on the board shouldn't be a problem.
Cheatham accumulated 173 yards on the ground on 19 carries against South Vermillion and ran for a 44-yard touchdown on Cloverdale's opening possession.
Friday's game between the Cadets and the Clovers will be their second meeting of the season.
Cascade defeated Cloverdale 28-0 on Sept. 15, one week after the Clovers had earned their first victory of 2006.
Kickoff for Friday's sectional semifinal match between the Cadets and Clovers is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Cloverdale.