Clarke hosted Van Meter on Friday, falling 56-0 to the 2023 Class 2A state champions; Van Meter also won the state title in 2017, 2021 and 2022.
The game began with Clarke receiving the opening kickoff, with Javier Munoz fielding the kick. After an initial miss of a tackle, Munoz was taken down at the 18, where Clarke began their drive. The Indians first drive lost two yards, and on the second drive, Ryan Diehl handed the ball off to Alec Wright, who lost the ball in a tackle that was recovered by Van Meter’s Tate Doggett, allowing the Bulldogs to take over at Clarke’s 15. Van Meter quarterback Jay Haley handed the ball off to Caleb Moore, who was tackled by Clarke’s Jared Perdomo at the one-yard line. Doggett ran the ball in for six with 11:11 on the clock. A subsequent kick after by Adlai Lounsberry was good.
Lounsberry kicked a touchback for the Indians to start at their 20. Under pressure, Diehl was sacked at the 10, and a pass intended for Tate Shriver was intercepted by Cason Peterson, who was tackled by Ethan Danley at the nine. Van Meter scored on their drive, with a kick after bringing the score to 14-0 with about 10:20 left in the quarter.
The Indians next two possessions in the first quarter resulted in turnovers on lack of downs, while the Bulldogs scored another 14 points. On their final possession of the quarter, Clarke began again at their own 20, with a pass from Diehl to Uriah Fry gaining three yards. A personal foul penalty on Van Meter for a horse collar tackle on Fry moved Clarke up 15 yards for a first down. On 1st and 10, Diehl handed the ball to Wright, who was tackled by Adam Glade.
An extended injury timeout for Wright stopped the clock for some time, as paramedics tended to him, before he was taken off the field in a stretcher to hospital. It was later reported on personal Facebook pages that Wright was doing well.
When play resumed, Clarke’s Rafael Avalos had to punt the ball from the 43 on lack of downs. Van Meter took over at their own 23, making it to their 47 as time ran out in the quarter. Picking back up in the second quarter, Van Meter’s Aiden Hudson carried the ball over several plays down to Clarke’s 26. A long pass from Lexon Blevins at the 26 to Brayden Fennessey in the endzone was broken up by Shriver, but Van Meter was able to rally back and get in for a quarterback keeper touchdown.
Clarke continued to struggle to make forward moves on their possession, with Diehl sacked, a pass to Fry incomplete and a dropped pass by Munoz forcing Avalos to punt on 4th and 19, with Van Meter widening the score to 42-0. As Clarke offense stayed on the field on their next play at 4th and 4, a penalty moved them back five yards. A pass from Diehl to Munoz was complete, with Munoz being down at Van Meter’s 36. The next pass from Diehl intended for Shriver at the 22 was intercepted by Braydon Parkison, turning the ball back over.
With 19 seconds left on the quarter, a handoff to Blevins found an opening, and with a burst of speed ran for a 77-yard touchdown, with the score going into halftime 49-0 Van Meter.
The second half saw a running clock with ten-minute quarters.
Avalos kicked off with a touchback, and it took Van Meter 12 plays to get down to the Indian’s one-yard line, where Cohen Peterson ran the ball in for a touchdown, a point after by Lukas Hetland brought the score to what would be the final of 56-0. The third quarter ended with Clarke at 3rd and 4 at their own 35.
The Indians were able to execute a series of successful plays in the fourth quarter to move them closer to the end zone, but came up short on 4th and second at the Van Meter 32 in search of a first down. They were able to hold the Bulldogs from making any points in the final quarter, with their final play being on third and fourth at Clarke’s 41.
The loss moves Clarke’s season to 0-5. Clarke hosts Clarinda (3-2) at 7 p.m. this Friday for Homecoming. The King and Queen and court will be presented before the game.
Results
Van Meter 28-21-7-0
Clarke 0-0-0-0
Clarke individual stats
RUSHING
Ryan Diehl 4-1; Alec Wright 4-1; Uriah Fry 4-10
PASSING
Diehl 9/17-78
RECEIVING
Tate Shriver 1-8; Javier Munoz 4-42; Fry 2-24; Rafael Avalos 1-2; Ethan Danley 1-2
DEFENSE (total-solo-sacks-for loss)
Bryce Cook 3.0-2-0-0; Shriver 1.0-1-0-0; Munoz 7.0-4-0-0; Gavin Page 1.0-1-0-0; Fry 5.0-5-0-0; Avalos 0.5-0-0-0; Bowen Page 2.0-2-0-0; Easton Brokaw 1.5-1-0-0; Andrew Martinez-Andrade 4.0-2-0-0; John Sanga 0.5-0-0-0; Darien Martinez 3.5-2-0-0; Danley 2.0-2-0-0
KICKING
Avalos 1-1(TB)-60
KICK RETURNS
Munoz 3-133; Fry 1-15
PUNTING
Avalos 4-133
Van Meter team stats
RUSHING
42-381-7 (TD)
PASSING
4/6-53-1 (TD)
RECEIVING
4-53-1 (TD)
DEFENSE (total-solo-sacks-for loss)
24.5-14-3.0-7.0
FUMBLE RECOVERIES
1
INTERCEPTIONS
2-10
KICKING
9-5 (TB)-502-8/9PAT