Clinton Comets outscore Jacks 52-28; Liam McClain rushes for 242 yards, TD
By Dick Sterling
Liam McClain put together his finest game as a Tupper Lake Lumberjack running back last Friday at Clinton, running for a career-best 242 yards. The senior back scored one touchdown and added a conversion run, but the punishing running abilities of several Clinton Comets runners proved to be too much for the Jacks’ defense to overcome as they slipped to 0-5 for the season by falling 52-28. With the victory the Comets climbed to 2-4.
This Friday, the Jacks head to Lewis County to tangle with the South Lewis Falcons. Kick-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Clinton took the opening kickoff and embarked on a 55-yard drive that featured several short runs from Eli Ollerenshaw and Jacob Emery, who alternated quarterback snaps with Brody Stoddard. Stoddard found Ollerenshaw for an 18-yard completion and Ollerenshaw finished off the drive with a two-yard touchdown run. Jack Cavalier booted the extra point to make it 7-0.
The Lumberjacks ran McClain on the first three plays as he picked up a first down. A holding penalty backed them up and then Tupper Lake quarterback Knaullyn Durfee was intercepted by Shennen Ireland, who returned the pick 31 yards to the Lumberjacks 27-yard-line.
Three plays later Ollerenshaw sprinted 27 yards for another Clinton touchdown. Cavalier booted the conversion to make the score 14-0 with 9:04 to play in the quarter.
The Jacks’ offense clicked on the ensuing drive as they put together a nice 63-yard drive that featured a 36-yard run by McClain. Sophomore running back Cooper McDonald then plowed through a hole opened by his offensive line and rumbled 25 yards for a touchdown. The conversion pass was incomplete and the Jacks had cut the Comet lead to 14-6.
Clinton managed another touchdown before the end of the opening quarter as Emery was the featured back running for gains of 11 and 24 yards and a 10-yard completion to Ollerenshaw. Stoddard scored on a one-yard QB keeper to up the advantage to 20-6 with 1:21 to play in the quarter. The conversion attempt failed.
After the Jacks were forced to punt, the Comets put together a 40-yard drive. Stoddard connected with Ollerenshaw for 18 yards and the Jacks were whistled for a face mask penalty. Stoddard then connected with Ollerenshaw for a four-yard touchdown pass. The Jacks stopped the conversion try, but the Comets lead had grown to 26-6 with 10:18 remaining in the half.
Both teams’ defenses stiffened as the Jacks turned the ball over on downs and the Comets were forced into their first two punts of the day. Clinton then put together their final scoring drive of the first half, a 56-yarder that included two Tupper Lake pass interference penalties. Emery scored on an eight-yard touchdown run with just 14 seconds remaining in the half. Cavalier booted the extra point to make the score 33-6.
McClain nearly pulled off a long touchdown run on the last play of the half as he broke around the end and gained 37 yards before a Clinton defender was able to bring him down.
Tupper Lake Head Coach Dennis Klossner talked to his troops at halftime, and they opened the second half with great success. McClain returned the second half kick-off 43 yards to near mid-field. On the first play from scrimmage, Durfee handed to McClain, who gave the ball to Cohen Gerstenberger on a well-designed reverse and the Tupper Lake senior sprinted 49 yards for the touchdown. Durfee added the conversion on a quarterback keeper to trim the lead to 33-14 with just 21 seconds having been played in the third quarter.
Unfortunately, the Comets didn’t need even that much time to answer. Clinton returned the kick to its own 43 and on the first play of the drive, Ollerenshaw scored on a 57-yard run. The conversion failed and the Clinton lead was 39-14 just 34 seconds into the third quarter. The Comets would add two more touchdowns in the third quarter, after recovering a fumble at the Jacks’ 16, Emery scored on a 16-yard run with 7:43 to play in the third quarter. Emery added a 17-yard touchdown run with 16 seconds to play in the quarter to make the score 52-14 headed to the final quarter.
Tupper Lake refused to give up and McClain continued to punish the Comet defense with big runs of 26, 12 and 17 yards and finally scored his first touchdown of the day on a three-yard run with 7:14 to play.
Durfee’s pass try for the conversion was incomplete. With the final moments of the game slipping away, the Jacks would strike for one more touchdown. After McClain ran for 16 yards on his 31st carry of the evening, Durfee completed a 23-yard touchdown pass to Gerstenberger with 32 seconds remaining in the game. McClain ran in the conversion to bring the final score to 52-28 in favor of the home team.
McClain finished with 242 yards on 31 carries; McDonald had 55 yards on six carries and Gerstenberger carried the ball three times for 52 yards and also caught all three of Durfee’s completions (3/9) for another 45 yards. The speedy senior totaled 97 yards on the day and also was a top player on defense as he topped Tupper Lake with 11 tackles and knocked down a pair of passes. Gauge LaValley had seven tackles, forced a fumble and knocked down a pass. Luka Dukett had four tackles and recovered a fumble. McClain, Colin Bencze and Colin Strack also had multiple tackles for the Jacks’ defense.
Coach Klossner was happy with the boys’ effort. “We started slow, but played much better. I am very proud of these kids as this was a tough game to play and they kept their heads up and continued to play hard for all four quarters. We played short-handed as Cooper McDonald and Brock Fleishman both suffered injuries. These kids haven’t given up or developed an attitude. They are a remarkable group of young men!”
The Jacks tangle with the South Lewis Falcons this Friday in Turin. Kick-off is at 6:30 p.m. The Falcons are 2-3 this season with wins over Cooperstown and Clinton. They were beaten by Waterville, Sauquoit Valley and dropped a 68-0 decision to Morrisville-Eaton last Friday.