Waves of emotion provide inspiration: Wilkes says his late father ‘was looking out' for him

Saturday, September 30, 2017
Cloverdale’s Jake Wilkes (24) looks upfield as teammate Tyce Jackson (5) prepares to clear a path. Wilkes scored a 50-yard touchdown to help the Clovers beat Owen Valley 20-9.
Banner Graphic/JOEY BENNETT

CLOVERDALE — Size and strength are obviously important qualities necessary for success in the game of football.

Emotion, though, can sometimes prove to be an even stronger factor than the biggest or strongest opponent.

Cloverdale junior Jake Wilkes used the inspiration of his father, who passed away on Monday after a battle with cancer, to have the best game of his career on Friday night in helping his team to a 20-9 win over Owen Valley.

The fact that it was homecoming, and the Clovers hadn’t beaten Owen Valley since 1997, were just supplementary reasons for the magnetism in the air.

Wilkes scored the game’s first touchdown on a 50-yard run on his second carry of the game, and also made several key plays on defense to hold the Patriots to single digits.

“To be honest, I had a lot more energy than any other game,” Wilkes said afterward. “My dad probably gave it to me to play for him tonight. I’m just so glad we won.”

The game’s first three drives ended in either punts or lost fumbles, but Wilkes took a pitchout on the first play of his team’s second drive and burst around the right side of the field.

He outran several Patriot defenders and put his team up 7-0 with 5:30 left in the opening period.

“When I got around the corner, I ‘juked’ one dude out and I thought I was long gone,” he said. “Then I saw the corner. I almost stepped out of bounds when I saw him coming, but I guess I didn’t. I just wanted that touchdown really bad.”

“That was 110 percent for my dad,” he continued. “Ever since he passed, he’s been looking out for me.”

Wilkes played football as a freshman, but did not play football last season to concentrate on the upcoming basketball season.

When his father became sick, he decided to resume his gridiron career to allow his father to see him compete a few more times.

“I didn’t think I was that good [as a freshman],” he said. “Then my dad was getting really ill, and I decided to start playing again. He made it to the first three or four games this season. He wanted to make it to the Edgewood game, but it was raining and he couldn’t go.

“That’s when we got the game ball,” Wilkes added. “This night and that night were two great ones to remember.”

Cloverdale coach Tom Winders was not surprised that Wilkes rose to the occasion.

“I talked to him during the week,” he said. “The first day we had to give him a little time, but Jake’s a fighter. He’s one of those kids who has that internal fire, and I knew he would step up.

“He looked at me and said ‘Coach, I’m playing and I’m going to practice every day’,” Winders added. “And he did.”

The big run got the Clovers on the board early, which Winders thought was a key to the game.

“That set the tone right from the start,” he said. “With how fast he is and the kind of athlete he is, he made a great play.”

The game was a long way from being over following Wilkes’ long run, though, with three and a half quarters yet to go.

Owen Valley intercepted a Parker Watts pass late in the first quarter, and scored four plays later on a 27-yard TD pass from Daniel Burkett to Collin Brandenburg.

The extra point attempt was blocked, and the Clovers held on to a 7-6 lead.

The Clovers lost the ball on a fumble to end their first drive of the game, then fumbled again on their third drive. Fortunately, Owen Valley missed a field goal attempt and the Clovers still led by one point.

Yet another fumble gave the Patriots the ball deep in Clover territory at the 5, but the Cloverdale defense held and limited the Patriots to a 21-yard field goal by Carter LaCoursier to give them their only lead of the night at 9-7.

The Clovers moved the ball well to start the second half, and on their second drive they took the lead for good.

Taking over at the Patriot 43, the Clovers ran the ball every time to score with Tyce Jackson rambling in from three yards out for a 14-9 lead with 4:14 left in the third period.

Owen Valley would only get three more first downs the rest of the game, and the Clovers added some insurance as Tyler Kaeff scored on a 5-yard run with 6:19 to play.

The game was not over, however. Owen Valley took over on its own 30 and quickly made its way into Clover territory at the 39.

At that point, the game’s biggest defensive play took place as Jackson stepped up and sacked Burkett for an 11-yard loss back to the 50.

The Patriots could never recover, and Cloverdale was on its way to celebrating for several different reasons.

“Normally we hang out hats on our defense,” Winders said. “We started playing a little softer defense at that point. We were still throwing the blitz in, but just one guy.

“Tyce saw the read and took it,” he added. “That’s why he’s the middle linebacker, because he can read the ball well. When he brings down the house, he brings everything with it.”

Wilkes had played more receiver than running back earlier in the season, and coach Winders was able to insert a new face into the equation in Trey Henry.

Henry, the team’s kicker and originally a receiver, carried the ball 12 times for 100 yards.

“We made some adjustments, and came back with some other players they haven’t seen,” Winders said. “They were focused in on some of our other guys. Trey Henry was fantastic tonight.”

Winders’ team is building momentum, following last week’s 53-point performance at Brown County, and likes where his team is.

“It’s starting to come together for us, and this is the time of year you want do to that,” Winders said. “This is our time to get better, if we want to play with the next level of teams like Indian Creek.”

The Clovers amassed 286 yards rushing, to just 22 for the Patriots.

Owen Valley 6 3 0 0 — 9

Cloverdale 7 0 7 6 — 20

First quarter

C — Wilkes 50 run (Henry kick)

OV — Brandenburg 27 pass from Burkett (Ca.LaCoursiere kick)

Second quarter

OV — CaLaCoursiere 21 FG

Third quarter

C — Jackson 3 run (Henry kick)

Fourth quarter

C — Kaeff 5 run (kick blocked)

OV C

First downs 8 13

Rushes-yards 24-22 46-286

Passing 10-18-0 1-6-1

Passing yards 87 9

Penalties-yds 3-30 2-15

Individual statistics

Rushing —OV: Ch.Lacoursier 9-9, Burkett 14-10, Hershberger 1-3. Cloverdale Jackson 17-117, Wilkes 6-58, Winders 9-6, Henry 12-100, Watts 2-5.

Passing — OV: Burkett 10-18-0 878., Cloverdale: Watts 1-1-6 9.

Receiving — OV: Rosenberger 3-5, Townsend 3-21, Brandenburg 2-44, Ch.Lacousiere 2-6, McMurry 1-1. Cloverdale: Wilkes 1-9.

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