On Oct. 27, the Berkshire Badgers traveled to Lorain County to take on the Clearview Clippers.
Game photos click here.
On Oct. 27, the Berkshire Badgers traveled to Lorain County to take on the Clearview Clippers.
Although the Badgers fought hard throughout the game, the Clippers were able to pull away in the fourth quarter to seal the victory, 33-12.
After the contest, senior quarterback Miles Miller talked about the playoff game and how proud he was of the effort his teammates gave.
“I’m proud of my guys,” he said. “I’m proud of the way they came out tonight. They left it all on the field.
“I think there are a lot of good things going on to build for next year for these kids. This program is building everyday. That’s a plus for us.”
Added senior Jack Hastings, “That’s a good team (Clearview), you know. You got to give them respect, and they came out and they executed.”
The Badgers gave great effort throughout the game. Miller believed his team came into the contest with an effective game plan and utilized time in the film room successfully as they prepared for Clearview.
“We came in with a really good game plan for these guys,” Miller said. “We watched a lot of game film. We got three total games on them, which is more than we usually get in the season.
“We really understood what they were trying to do coming into the game and were able to put it on paper and then bring it out here, and we did what we wanted to do.
“It looked like it was working. We only got 12 points on that board, but we were moving that ball well all game.”
In fact, the Badgers moved the ball well in the first quarter as they drove down the field and got on the scoreboard first; Miller scored on a six-yard touchdown run with 5:49 left in the first quarter.
“Those touchdowns were beautiful. We executed well,” he said.
After holding the Clippers scoreless for most of the first half, 6-0, Clearview scored on Ethan Lorenzana’s touchdown with 27 seconds remaining to take a 7-6 lead into halftime.
Then Berkshire took a 12-7 lead with 8:52 left in the third quarter when Miller found senior Jack Hastings open for an 18-yard touchdown pass.
“I was just running a corner and I kind of split the safety and the overhang there, and my quarterback threw a nice ball,” Hastings said. “I just made a play on it and got in the end zone with a touchdown, and I was really excited for our team.”
The Clippers added a touchdown pass of their own with 4:05 left in third quarter to take a 14-12 lead, and extended their lead on the first of three fourth-quarter Lorenzana touchdowns, making the score 20-12.
The Badgers remained within one score of the Clippers until 4:07 was left in the game, when Lorenzana scored his third touchdown to give the Clippers a 26-12 lead.
Clearview would add a late-fourth-quarter touchdown to make the final score 33-12.
After the game, Miller reminisced about his time in the Berkshire Badgers football program.
“I’m glad to do what I did,” he said. “This sport is kind of who I am. I’m going to miss it.”
