For three quarters, the Sheffield Wolverines showed glimpses of a team that could hang with one of the strongest Class A programs in District 9.

But it was the first quarter that would ultimately decide the game. Clarion stormed out of the gate to take a 24-point after 12 minutes of play and went on to defeat the Wolverines, 60-20, Saturday at Sheffield High School.

“We obviously looked like deer in the headlights in that first quarter,” said Sheffield coach Dave Fitch. “A lot of our kids remember last year’s game (a 68-0 loss in Clarion). We tried all week to tell them that they’re more manageable this year than they were last year, and that we thought if we played our type of football we could stay with them. We just didn’t do a good enough job coaching that, because obviously there was a big, big fear in their eyes during that first quarter.”

The offensive outburst started almost immediately as Clarion took advantage of a Sheffield blunder to put a quick six on the board. After a three-and-out on the first drive of the game, Sheffield punter Logan Connolly had no other choice but to fall on a bad snap, giving the Bobcats the ball on the 18 yard line where Colton Rapp rattled off a 17-yard gain and Luke Nellis pounded the ball in from the one.

The two-point conversion was good, making it 8-0 Clarion less than three minutes into the action.

The Clarion defense continued to hold strong, and the Wolverines were forced to punt again on their next drive. Rapp handled the rest himself with runs of 13, 43, and a three-yard touchdown before running in the conversion. Less than two minutes later, Thomas Wurster broke through the line to block a punt deep in Sheffield territory and Spencer Miller fell on the ball in the end zone for another score.

On the last play of Sheffield’s nightmare quarter, Bobcats quarterback Brendan Miller dropped back to pass looking to convert on a fourth-and-six. Miller’s deep pass was picked off by Sheffield’s Myquandre Stevenson and returned to the Clarion 38. After 12 minutes of futile efforts to move the ball, the Wolverines went back to Stevenson for a 38-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter.

That score was quickly answered by Rapp, who broke free for a 56-yard touchdown run. Sheffield came up with another big play on its next drive as quarterback Cale Albaugh found Stevenson on a slant route that Stevenson took for a 73-yard score, but Clarion would have the last laugh in a quarter full of big plays.

Spencer Miller burned the Sheffield defense for a 62-yard touchdown and Brendan Miller found the end zone from 11 yards out just before the half to send his team into the locker room with a 45-13 lead.

“Clarion did a great job taking that momentum away from us,” Fitch said. “Every time we did crack a little bit and start to gain something, they had a big play and scored. Our kids are young yet. Our football program with the Abraxas co-op – it takes three or four weeks to get going… I’m very confident in this team, and the beauty is they’re a very tight-knit unit. There’s no separation on this team. Even after a 40-point loss today they’re over there talking about positive things.”

Neither side was able to put together much in the way of offense in the third quarter. What looked like the start of a promising drive after a long kick return by Clarion’s Josh Kriebel was cut short when a botched snap was recovered by freshman linebacker Matt Dunham, and Spencer Miller erased a Sheffield threat with an interception on a deep pass intended for Stevenson.

Nellis scored again – this time from three yards out – to bring the mercy rule into effect in the fourth quarter. Stevenson returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown, but it was too little, too late for the Wolverines.

Clarion’s second team offense closed out the scoring on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Spencer Miller to Keeven Weaver.

Rapp led the Bobcats’ huge effort on the ground with 193 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Spencer Miller made the most of his two carries with 78 yards and one score, and Caleb Bailey ran nine times for 50 yards.

Stevenson finished with 45 yards on the ground and 73 receiving yards to lead the Wolverines.

Despite the Clarion defense all but shutting down the run game, Sheffield showed a noticeable improvement over last week’s game against Ridgway in which they were held to negative total yardage.

“After they settled down I thought they played relatively well,” Fitch said. “We challenged our guys in the locker room… to go out in the second half and play our brand of football. And I thought the second half, if we would have played that way in the first half, I’m not saying we would have won the game but it would have been a lot closer.

“As the game wore on and we started to get in our groove a little bit we started to be able to do some things. We’re going to be a big play offense. We’re not built to go three yards, three yards, three yards. Our goal is to just bounce one like we did today, and I’m proud they scored three touchdowns on Clarion’s starting defense. I don’t know the last time that’s happened. I feel pretty good that our kids were able to do that.”

The Wolverines (0-2) will look to keep building in another tough home matchup next week against Kane (2-0).

– – –

By Quarters

Clarion 24 21 0 15 – 60

Sheffield 0 13 0 7 – 20

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter

C – Nellis 1-yard run, 9:12 (Bailey from B. Miller)

C – Rapp 3-yard run, 5:52 (Rapp run)

C – S. Miller 0-yard blocked punt recovery, 3:56 (Kriebe from B. Millerl)

Second Quarter

S – Stevenson 38-yard run, 11:50 (McCullough kick)

C – Rapp 56-yard run, 10:13 (pass failed)

S – Stevenson 73-yard pass from Albaugh, 8:25 (kick failed)

C – S. Miller 62-yard run, 7:26 (Rapp run)

C – B. Miller 11-yard run, 0:47 (Craig kick)

Fourth Quarter

C – Nellis 3-yard run, 9:56 (Craig kick)

S – Stevenson 85-yard kick return, 9:38 (McCullough kick)

C – Weaver 11-yard pass from S. Miller, 2:58 (Burford from S. Miller)

Team Statistics

Total yards: C – 388; S – 74

First downs: C – 13; S – 2

Rushing yards: C – 352; S – 1

Passing yards: C – 36; S – 73

C-ATT-INT: C – 4-13-1; S – 1-7-1

Fumbles-lost: C – 3-1; S – 3-1

Penalties-yards: C – 6-55; S – 6-35

Individual Statistics

RUSHING: C – Rapp 16-193 2TD, Nellis 5-16 2TD, B. Miller 7-24 TD, Kriebel 3-(-8), S. Miller 2-78 TD, Patterson 1-(-1), Bailey 9-50; S – Stevenson 10-45 TD, Albaugh 9-(-28), Connolly 5-(-21), Grady 3-5.

PASSING: C – B. Miller 3/12-25 INT, S. Miller 1/1-11 TD; S – Albaugh 1/7-73 TD INT.

RECEIVING: C – Wurster 1-4, Weber 2-21, Weaver 1-11 TD; S – Stevenson 1-73 TD.