Clarkson catches a ride on Cloud 9
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Clarkson catches a ride on Cloud 9
Red Devils in first state title game
By BRUCE VIERGUTZ
CLARKSON - As if anyone needed to remember what high school football is all about, Clarkson and Humphrey St. Francis provided a lump-in-the-throat reminder last Saturday.
With the stands half red, (Clarkson's colors) and half blue (St. Francis), and other fans surrounding the field at Humphrey, electricity was in the air.
A chance to play at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln was on the line.
St. Francis was going for its first trip to the finals since a 59-38 loss to Mullen in 1998.
Clarkson was hoping to garner its first title appearance in school history.
It appeared that Clarkson was going to get its wish, taking a 14-0 lead after a scoreless first half.
Then came an injury to St. Francis starting quarterback Randy Foltz. Off the bench or out of the telephone booth came junior quarterback Derek Classen.
Classen turned in a Superman-like-performance, connecting on 4 of 5 passes for 76 yards and helped the Flyers tie the score at 14.
Then came overtime. St. Francis won the coin toss, giving Clarkson the first chance to score. The Red Devils did, getting a 9-yard touchdown run by quarterback Eric Brabec.
It was then the Flyers turn. St. Francis scored, but Classen was hurt and had to leave the game the play before. Back in comes Foltz. He passes for a 2-yard touchdown pass and, on the next play, the Flyers will try for the two-point conversion.
Time-out is called. Fingernails are being chewed off. Hearts are pounding. An apple is in the throat of many a fan.
CLARKSON'S DEFENSE pumps its fist, shouts encouragement to itself and to its crowd for energy. There are mothers on the sidelines, taking photos and praying to the Man above for any help He can give.
The Red Devils pin their ears back and stop Foltz almost dead in his tracks.
Foltz tried to execute a bootleg pass but his receiver was covered. Clarkson's Brabec, who also plays linebacker, made the tackle.
Jubilation abounded on the Clarkson sideline.
Red Devil fans pour out on the field. Young, old, babies and grandmas. Tears, hugs, smiles abound. A long desire to finally make it to the title game spill out in an emotional tidal wave.
An enchanting moment on a November night in small-town Nebraska.
"I was just standing on the sideline, thinking, 'Please make the stop,'" Clarkson head coach Jim Clarkson said. "We kind of knew what they liked to do on two-point conversions so our kids were pretty well prepared. I thought we had a decent shot of stopping it."
The thought of playing at Memorial Stadium had become a reality for the Red Devils.
"I can remember going to the Shrine Bowl this past summer," Clarkson assistant coach Wes Pokorny said. "My boy and I found some pennies on the field. We picked them up and took them back home."
ON SATURDAY NIGHT, those "good luck" pennies were put into use.
Clarkson, which has watched neighboring town Howells win state football title after title, and Dodge before that, now has the chance to claim its own crown.
"A lot of our people have gone down and supported them to an extent," Clarkson said. "They have had cousins or whatever play. But it's nice for the shoe to be on the other foot for a change."
All the Red Devils (10-2) need to do is stick a fork in Elgin Pope John (12-0) in Thursday night's Class D1 championship to complete their dream.
"Pope John is a very good football team," Clarkson said. "They're fast and they fly to the ball. They do some innovative stuff on offense. They'll be a good opponent. They're tough."
You can bet there won't be many people left in Clarkson on Thursday.
"I'm just so proud for the town," Pokorny said. "The town deserves something like this. I wanted to bring some respect for the town because they've been so good to me and my family. I'm so happy for them."
The Red Devils may not need buses or cars to take them to Lincoln on Thursday. They just might ride on Cloud 9 from here on out.
(from Norfolk Daily News, 11/14/07)
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