Lutheran advances to sectional final over Cloverdale

Lutheran's Cur'Brian Shelby tries to go over Cloverdale's Carson Caulkins but the Clover sophomore is able to make the tackle during Friday night's Class A Sectional No. 47 semifinal.

Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT

INDIANAPOLIS – A week after knocking back the challenge of South Putnam, No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran welcomed Cloverdale in the second round of IHSAA Football Class A Sectional No. 47 play.

The Clovers gave what they could but were outmatched across the board, falling 63-0 to the Saints.

“We were outmanned tonight upfront, outside and anywhere in-between,” Cloverdale head coach Tyler Lotz said. “(Lutheran) has a really good ball club, (Lutheran head coach Dave) Pasch has them doing good things and we just couldn’t seem to get anything going.

“Outside of the first drive or two, where we made them work the field, we couldn’t stop them on offense either.”

The hosts started off with a methodical seven-play drive that covered 80 yards and ended with a 15-yard Joe Davis run for a 7-0 lead.

Lutheran partially blocked Michael King’s punt after the first Cloverdale drive and only needed two plays to cover 15 yards as Jackson Willis hit Josiah King for an 11-yard score to double the lead.

Davis added a 17-yard run to make it 20-0 before the Saints added two scores in the final minute of the opening quarter.

Willis found LJ Ward in the middle of the Clover secondary as part of a 53-yard score before a pass completion to Levi Hilton was fumbled and Gavin Mimms scooped up the loose ball, rumbling home from 30 yards out to make it 34-0 after a quarter of play.

Ward was found by Willis again for a six-yard score before a bad snap on a punt went out of the back of the Cloverdale end zone for a safety.

Lutheran took advantage of the free kick as Willis hit Micah Mackay on the next play for a 49-yard score.

Willis would hit Devuan Jones three-consecutive times on the Saints’ next possession, the third a nine-yard touchdown pass, before Braydon Hall capped the scoring with a three-yard run 76 seconds before halftime.

Cloverdale’s best scoring chance came on the first drive of the second half when Jackson hit Tyson Bridges on fourth-and-six for 37 yards, moving to the Lutheran 15-yard line.

Jackson’s pass on the next play was tipped twice before being intercepted by Campbell Richardson, preventing the Clovers from reaching the end zone.

With the running clock on from the start of the second half, both teams traded off possessions near midfield to close out the game as the hosts advanced to the sectional final to take on Covenant Christian.

Cloverdale finished the season 1-9 with a 1-4 mark in WIC Small School Division play.

“Part of the foundation has been laid,” Lotz said. “We do some things that I wanted to make sure that I brought here well and some things that I still want to see growth in.

“Some of these seniors trailblazed a path for these future guys. They gave it their all and that’s all you can ask of teenagers, for them to show up, give their all and I think a lot of guys did that this year.”

Scoring

1st Quarter

L — Joe Davis 15-yard run (Miller kick) 9:27 7-0

L — King 11-yard pass from Willis (Miller kick) 6:40 14-0

L — Joe Davis 17-yard run (XP no good) 3:40 20-0

L — Ward 53-yard pass from Willis (Miller kick) :26 27-0

L — Mimms 30-yard fumble recovery (Miller kick) :10 34-0

2nd Quarter

L — Ward 6-yard pass from Willis (Miller kick) 7:30 41-0

L — Safety 7:08 43-0

L — Mackay 49-yard pass from Willis (XP no good) 6:57 49-0

L — Jones 9-yard pass from Willis (Miller kick) 3:40 56-0

L — Hall 3-yard run (Miller kick) 1:16 63-0

Statistics

Individual Statistics

Rushing

Cloverdale — 19-(-15) — Jackson 15-(-4); Team. 2-(-5); Johnson 2-(-6)

Indianapolis Lutheran — 21-195, 3 TD — Joe Davis 9-147, 2 TD; Richardson 4-19; Hall 3-21, TD; Snow 1-10; Shelby 1-6; Ji. Davis 1-2; Ward 1-(-5); Shrum 1-(-5)

Passing

Cloverdale — Jackson 10-25-77, 2 INT

Indianapolis Lutheran — 16-19-240, 5 TD — Willis 14-15-236, 5 TD; Shrum 2-3-4; Richardson 0-1-0

Receiving

Cloverdale — Hilton 5-3; Lee 3-27; Bridges 1-37; Johnson 1-10

Indianapolis Lutheran — Jones 4-64, TD; Ward 3-85, 2 TD; King 2-17, TD; Shelby 2-12; Joe Davis 2-9; Ji. Davis 2-4; Mackay 1-49, TD