Sandusky reins in Clear Fork in season opener

Sandusky's defense did a number on Clear Fork's punishing running attack Friday.

The Blue Streaks limited the Colts to minus-36 yards rushing in the first half and held on for a 39-22 win at the Colt Corral.

Clear Fork didn't manage its first first down until early in the second quarter. By that time the Colts were already in a 14-0 hole.

For photos from the game, click HERE

"We had our backs to the wall in that first quarter," Clear Fork coach Dave Carroll said. "Their defense is tough. We had trouble blocking their big guys, especially in the first half. They're aggressive and they're physical. They're going to win some games against some big schools."

The first half was a nightmare for the Colts, who had won their previous five season openers. Sandusky running back Cordney Strickland put the Streaks ahead with 3:55 to play in the first quarter on a 6-yard run.

After the Colts went three-and-out, Sandusky quarterback Lucas Poggiali hooked up with Westley Newton for a 14-0 lead with 10 seconds remaining in the opening period.

Things kept going Sandusky's way. Clear Fork's botched punt attempt with 1:03 remaining in the second quarter led to a safety and a 16-0 Sandusky lead. The Streaks took the ensuing free kick and marched 56 yards on just four plays. Strickland capped the abbreviated drive with an 8-yard TD run with just 19 second to play in the half.

The Colts came to life in the second half. Clear Fork took the second-half kickoff and marched 67 yards on 13 plays. Jordan McCune, Clear Fork's All-Ohio running back, capped the drive with a 1 yard run to. McCune, who managed just 6 yards on six carries in the first half, scored all three of Clear Fork's second-half TDs.

"You can only hold great players down for so long," Sandusky coach Mike Franklin said. "It's not very often you can hold great players down for four quarters."

Sandusky extended its lead to 31-8 when Poggiali scrambled for a 30-yard score.

"Lucas showed a real nice burst there," Franklin said. "He's a tough kid."

Clear Fork pulled within 30-22 early in the fourth on McCune's 7-yard run. The Colts forced a Sandusky punt, but Clear Fork quarterback Jordan Beans was sacked in the end zone by Sandusky's Jerron Taylor for a 32-22 lead. After the free kick, Poggiali hooked up with Tristen Jeffries on a 56-yard scoring strike to put the game away.

"We think we can throw the ball pretty well," Franklin said. "We've got a pretty good quarterback and a nice stable of receivers. We kept our quarterback clean and when we need a big run we were able to get a big run."

Strickland led the Streaks with 125 yards on 20 carries. Poggiali completed 6 of 14 passes for 210 yards and two TDs. Jeffries had two grabs for 97 yards, while Newton had two catches for 82 yards.

Sandusky 14 9 7 9 -- 39

Clear Fork 0 0 16 6 -- 22

First Quarter

S--Cordney Strickland 6 run (Brock Cremean kick)

S--Westley Newton 29 pass from Lucas Poggiali (Cremean kick)

Second Quarter

S--Team safety

S--Strickland 8 run (Cremean kick)

z Third Quarter

CF--Jordan McCune 1 run (McCune pass from Jordan Beans)

S--Poggiali 30 run (Cremean kick)

CF--McCune 5 run (Caleb Doup pass from Beans)

Fourth Quarter

CF--McCune 7 run (kick fail)

S--Safety, Jerron Taylor sack Beans in end zone)

S--Tristen Jeffries 56 pass from Poggiali (Cremean kick)

S CF

First downs 13 22

Total Net Yards 374 257

Rushes-yards 30-164 41-93

Passing 210 164

Comp-Att-Int 6-14-0 12-21-1

Fumbles-Lost 2-0 2-0

Penalties-Yards 8-65 7-36

RUSHING

Sandusky--Strickland 20-125. Clear Fork--McCune 18-87.

PASSING

Sandusky--Poggiali 6-14-0 210. Clear Fork--Beans 11-20-1 126.

RECEIVING

Sandusky--Jeffries 2-97, Newton 2-82. Clear Fork--Doup 4-44, McCune 3-46.