Clarkson Falls

Clarkson Falls in a Nailbiter
By:  Mark Vrbicky


Eric Brabec(24) prepares to punt the ball away during the first half of Clarkson's 8-6 loss to Dodge.

    DODGE- In a battle for Class D supremacy, the Dodge Pirates (2-0) hosted the Clarkson Red Devils (2-0) in an early season Cornhusker Conference match-up.  This contest was heralded as one of the top games of the week by many newspapers, and these two teams did not disappoint.
    The Red Devils won the coin toss and elected to receive.  After a long drive down the field, Dodge was finally able to stop the Devils just before they could reach the end zone.  The Pirates did their best to run through Clarkson's powerful defense, but they too would be unsuccessful.  This back and forth battle would continue throughout the first half and the game remained scoreless at halftime.
    After receiving some strong words of encouragement from the coaches at intermission, Clarkson came back out, fired up and ready to play in the third quarter.  After Steven Paprocki's kick sailed into the end zone, The Big Red's defense stepped back out onto the field.  After a few plays, the Pirates coughed up the football in the red zone where Clarkson would take over.  Minutes later, Eric Brabec powered his way across the goal line to put the Red Devils on the board.  Michael Konicek got the ball across the line for the conversion, but a questionable call by the referee denied him the two points.  Apparently Konicek's knee was down before the ball crossed the plane.  Nevertheless, Clarkson was up 6-0.
    Dodge would not answer back on the next drive because they fumbled just inside Red Devil territory.  But the boys in blue would get lucky the very next play as Clarkson fumbled on a pitch.  Dodge drove forward and after a few plays, quarterback Jacob Kreikemeier found Bryan Ruzek in the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown pass.  Kreikemeier ran around the left side to convert the two extra points and put the Pirates up 8-6 with just under three minutes left in the third quarter.
    Both teams would fight hard to score and gain a little cushion on the scoreboard, but neither team's defense would allow this.  Clarkson came close when Konicek found a hole and ran half the length of the field into the end zone.  But another controversial "block in the back" call took away what might have been a game winning touchdown for the Devils.  As a result, Clarkson was forced to turn the ball over to the Pirates with just over five minutes left to play.
    The Big Red's defense finally got the ball back with time winding down.  Clarkson fans were on the edge of their seats, hoping for another game winning touchdown drive, reminiscent of one two years ago when Derek Dinslage found Aaron Konicek in the back of the end zone to give Clarkson a 26-20 win on the very same field.  But all hope was lost when Brandon Dinslage's pass to Michael Konicek on fourth down was broken up by Kreikemeier, who would take a knee on the next play to give Dodge the close win, 8-6.
    And so, the Red Devils move to 2-1 on the season after this tough loss.  But Clarkson has plenty of reasons to be optimistic.  First of all, this was just one loss, and it was to the reigning D2 State Champions.  The Red Devils have nothing to be ashamed of.  Secondly, this was the same team Clarkson beat last year, 32-6, and if they could go on to win State with one loss, so can the Red Devils.  Also, for those of you wondering, D1's defending champion, Overton, also lost to Axtell, 36-14.  Axtell was the only team to beat Overton last year, and as we all know, they did pretty well for themselves after that one loss.  In fact, 4 of last year's 6 state champions won State with one loss on their record.
    So don't worry about the Red Devils.  September 14 will not be remembered as a dark day in Clarkson history, and one loss will not define this season.  Rather, it should be considered a turning point in the 2007 season, when Clarkson decided that they would refuse to lose again.  They will have plenty of opportunities to prove themselves in the coming weeks against big names like High Plains and Humphrey St. Francis.  District play starts this Friday, September 21, against the Leigh Panthers.  Look for the Red Devils to be fired up and ready to take down their Highway 91 rival and move forward on the season.
    The Red Devils have been looking at this season like a race, with every game being a hurdle to jump over.  So I will leave you with some inspiring words from senior, Corbin Hamernik, "Everyone makes mistakes and falls over a hurdle once in awhile.  But you have to get back up and finish hard if you want to win the race."  Indeed, this race is far from over for Clarkson, so keep your eyes on the track.  GO BIG RED!

Nathan Urbanek searches for the ball carrier during Clarkson's game against Dodge on Friday night.

(from The Colfax County Press, 9/19/07)