Clarke was in prime position to pull off a major upset here Friday on senior night, trailing Class 2A ninth-ranked Albia 6-0 at halftime.
“Defensively, we played a very good first half,” Clarke head coach Michael Kline said. “I think we came out and played hard and matched their intensity to start the game.”
But Albia deflated Clarke’s momentum when Matt Baker returned the opening kick of the second half 70 yards for a touchdown.
“That kind of hurt our momentum,” Kline said. “We had a hard time regrouping after that. I was really proud of the way our defense played the first half. We stopped the run pretty well.”
Albia went on to post a 42-13 victory over the Indians, to end Clarke’s season with a record of 0-9 overall and 0-6 in Class 2A District 7.
Carter Isley finished the game with 181 rushing yards on 18 carries for three touchdowns, with most of that yardage coming in the second half.
“I think the coaches let them know their performance was not up to par in the first half,” Kline said. “They played harder in the second half and he got some runs. But for the most part, we didn’t let him break any long ones. We tackled pretty well. I think they were kind of working on their passing, knowing in the playoffs they’ll have to be able to pass the ball.”
Clarke held Albia to just 38 passing yards on three completions.
The Indians got a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns from senior Gordon Witt, who finished with 147 rushing yards on nine carries. Witt scored on a long touchdown of 79 yards. He also had two catches for 33 yards.
Junior Morales added 52 yards on 16 carries. Rich Wilkins completed five passes for 75 yards.
Defensively, Witt recorded 11 tackles, while sophomore Nathan Bair had one solo sack. Gable Reece intercepted a pass for the Indians.
Witt was one of eight seniors honored Friday night on senior night. Other Clarke seniors are Junior Morales, Caleb Hanson, Damon Helgevold, Ali Aly, Weston Brokaw, Dustan Van Loon and Reed Kale.
“It was a really good group of seniors,” Kline said. “Obviously Gordon ended on a high note with a couple of touchdowns. Junior had a really good season. He was banged up at the end of the season, but he played hard last night. Caleb Hanson didn’t play the whole season due to some shoulder injuries. He was feeling better, so he strapped it up and played in his last game.
“Damon Helgevold was a leader for our team all season,” Kline said. “A three-year starter on the offensive line will be missed. Ali Aly, Weston Brokaw, Dustan Van Loon and Reed Kale all did a good job for us, too.”
Kline said he was proud of the way his team played in the final game of the season against a tough opponent.
“I think if we had been able to play that tough in some of our earlier games, we might have got a win,” he said. “For some reason, we waited until senior night to play hard. I was very proud of the way they played, just a very tough opponent in Albia.”