Lincoln Bound

Lincoln Bound
Overtime Win Over St. Francis Sends Clarkson to State
By:  Mark Vrbicky

    HUMPHREY - No, you're not dreaming.  The Clarkson Red Devils are headed to Lincoln for a shot at their first Football State Championship in school history.  This comes as a result of Clarkson's thrilling overtime victory over Humphrey St. Francis in the semifinals of the Class D1 State Football Playoffs, 22-20.
    As we all know, Clarkson lost the first time these two teams played this season, 30-28.  St. Francis not only won the game, but they took away Clarkson's shot at becoming back-to-back District Champions.  That not only made the Devils angry, it made them hungry for revenge.
    Ever since October 13, the Red Devils have been on a rampage, destroying every team that has tried to stop them from seeking retribution on the Flyers.  On Saturday, November 10, the wait was over, and the Big Red was ready to make St. Fran pay.
    From the start, you could tell that these were not the same teams that played in October.  Both teams played with more fire, more confidence and more will to win.  Each down was a battle to the death, which made this one of the most exciting games football fans have ever seen.
    Throughout the first half it was a back-and-forth struggle.  Neither team's defense was willing to give an inch and the result was a scoreless game at halftime.
    In the third quarter, the Red Devils finally found the end zone when Michael Konicek sped around the right side for a 34-yard touchdown.  The conversion failed, but Clarkson had the advantage, 6-0, heading into the fourth quarter.
    Steven Paprocki's superb kicking prevented the Flyers from responding with any kick returns, which forced St. Fran to try to compete against Clarkson's monster defense.  This task proved to be too much for the boys in blue as they were forced to punt again.
    Midway through the fourth period, Clarkson again found pay dirt when Konicek ran down the Flyer sideline for a 25-yard score.  This time Konicek was able to convert the two points to put Clarkson up 14-0.
    Before Big Red fans could start feeling comfortable, the Flyers responded by moving 65 yards down the field on their best drive of the night.  The series was capped off by a 4-yard run by Jacob McPhillips for six points.  This made the score 14-6 after the failed conversion.
    Clarkson got the ball back and did their best to gain yards on the ground to keep the clock running with under four minutes left in the game.  Franny's defense stood strong and forced Clarkson into a punting situation.  The only problem was that the Devils opted to go for it on fourth and four.  The Flyers showed true grit as Konicek was stopped just short of the first, which, had he crossed it, would have most likely ended the game.
    With great field position, St. Francis was able to find the end zone via a 13-yard pass from Derek Classen to Matt Korus.  Classen also punched in the two extra points to tie the game up, 14-14, with 1:30 left to play.
    The Big Red tried to throw the long ball downfield, but were unsuccessful.  As the clock ran out, the two teams prepared for overtime.
    The Devils got the ball first in the extra period and quickly scored with an Eric Brabec 10-yard TD.  On the extra point try, Konicek stretched his arm as far as he could to put the ball over the line and gave Clarkson a 22-14 lead.
    When HSF got the ball, Randy Foltz found Steve Wemhoff for a 2-yard passing score.  The next play would decide if the game would continue or if Clarkson would make history.
    The two-point play would prove just why football is "game of inches".  When Foltz took the snap, he took off to his left, trying to get around one of the best defensive lines in the state.  But just before he could reach the goal, a group of Devils took him out, just inches away from the end zone.  The game was over.
    As the Clarkson players tried to take in what had just happened, the CHS fans swarmed onto the field like a pack of wild dogs, hugging every player in sight and yelling, "We≠re going to State!"
    The celebration continued when the players≠ buses got back to Clarkson.  A bunch of fire trucks, ambulances and police cruisers led the buses around town to allow the players to celebrate with the Red Devil faithful.  It was quite a sight.
    With all the celebrating, it may seem like Clarkson has already won State.  But this is not the case.  As head coach Jim Clarkson told his players before the got off the bus, "You guys may feel like celebrities tonight, but come tomorrow, all focus needs to be on Pope John."
    Indeed, the Red Devils are in for their greatest battle of the season when they challenge the undefeated Crusaders of Elgin Pope John for the D1 State Football Championship.  This game will take place Thursday, November 15th at 7:00 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.
    The Red Devils are excited to have the opportunity to play for the State title in Lincoln.  But they're not satisfied to just be there.  They're in it to win it!
    The Devils have worked too hard to be denied.
    Pope John will bring their best, and so will the Red Devils.  This is a game you can≠t miss.  If you don't know the way, don't worry.  All roads lead to Lincoln.