Clarkson/Leigh loses opener to Pender

The Clarkson/Leigh Football team came up on the short end of the stick Friday night, losing 46-20 at home to Pender.

The Patriots drew first blood as Anthony Bruhn hit Tommy McEvoy on a 41-yard pass to put Clarkson/Leigh up 6-0 in the 1st.

Following three straight Pendragon touchdowns, Bruhn hooked up with McEvoy again, this time from 62 yards out to draw Clarkson/Leigh within 8 at 20-12 in the second quarter.

The Patriots put up the rest of their points in the 4th quarter, recording a safety and a 26-yard TD run by Isaak Wiese that made it a 40-20 game in favor of Pender.

Bruhn was 3-14 passing for 107 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also ran the ball 18 times for 112 yards.

McEvoy caught all three passes, and accounted for all the receiving yardage and touchdowns.

Hector Mendoza made 9 tackles to lead the team.

Clarkson/Leigh totaled 312 yards of offense, including 205 on the ground.

The defense gave up 461 yards of offense, 266 coming on the ground.

It appears the Patriots played well enough offensively to win, it's just defense that was the issue.

Coverage of high school football continues this Friday on 107.9 The Bull as the 1-0 Guardian Angels Central Catholic Bluejays host the 0-1 Clarkson/Leigh Patriots in Beemer.

Head Coach Jim Clarkson says limiting GACC's offensive time of possession will be a key to the game. "A big thing for us is we're gonna have to get off the field. We're gonna have to find a way to slow down their offense. They seem to, in their first game anyways, seem to be a little bit less multiple than they have been in years past. I suppose they're breaking in a new quarterback and stuff, but again they have those big guys that seem to pound right at you," Clarkson said. "So we gotta somehow find a way to get off the field. If we can do that and hopefully string together a couple long drives against them, that would give us a chance to be competitive in the game. And then who knows what happens."

I think it will be important for the Patriots to limit big plays and force the Bluejays to drive the length of the field.

I also think Clarkson/Leigh is going to need to catch some breaks and force turnovers to have a chance in this one.

The Patriot offense also can't afford to put the ball on the ground or throw it into the hands of a GACC player.

Clarkson/Leigh has to value the rock, and make sure they do everything they can to maximize their possessions.

I think it's going to take a near perfect and flawless game from the Patriots to win. The Bluejays are so tough, and can beat you in so many different ways.

One player in particular that Clarkson/Leigh has to focus on stopping, or at least slowing down, is Jared Minnick.

Minnick had 255 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns in GACC's win over Nebraska Christian last week, and is a handful to bring down.

Clarkson/Leigh got off on the wrong foot this past Friday night so perhaps the Patriots will get things turned around this week.

Clarkson/Leigh is going to need to play much better defensively than they did against Pender to avoid an 0-2 start, there's no doubt about it.

The Patriots are capable of winning though. Going into Beemer and winning is not easy, but it's not impossible. It's just going to take a tremendous team effort on Clarkson/Leigh's part.

The biggest thing for the Patriots is believe. Clarkson/Leigh has to play to win, and not play not to lose.

Kickoff Friday night is scheduled for 7:00, with the St. Francis Memorial Hospital Pregame Show at 6:40. Listen live on 107.9 The Bull, online at kticradio.com and on the free KTIC Radio app.