BELLVILLE — Jared Schaefer had seen enough as his unbeaten Clear Fork Colts struggled against North Union for two-plus quarters on Friday night.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound quarterback/defensive back literally took matters (and the ball) into his own hands as Clear Fork ran off four unanswered touchdowns in the final 16 minutes in claiming a 42-14 victory.
“We struggled in the first half and we knew we had to come out and execute,” Schaefer said. “We took it upon ourselves to put the nail in the coffin. We knew we didn’t do the job we should have done in the first half. We knew what we could do.”
Schaefer, who normally splits QB duties with junior Brennan South, handled the bulk of the work on his own in the second half.
All he did was rush for 84 yards and two TDs on 10 carries, complete 5-of-7 passes for 102 yards and intercepted a North Union pass as Clear Fork improved to 4-0 overall, 1-0 in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference. North Union fell to 3-1, 1-1.
Clear Fork coach Dave Carroll credited his brother, defensive coordinator Mike Carroll, with the decision to stay with Schaefer in the second half after North Uniontied the game at 14 with 4:53 left in the third quarter.
“(Mike) said Jared’s on fire tonight. He’s just getting it going. Let’s go with him. He was fantastic and that’s what you want from your senior. (North Union) was bringing the heat, big boys up front. Jared has got a little more size to him to handle that and ran the ball really well on the draw tonight,” Carroll said.
HANDS FULL: Clear Fork, ranked 14th among Ohio’s Division IV schools this week in the first statewide AP poll, felt like it was looking in the mirror against North Union, which came in averaging almost 58 points per game while allowing just 10 per contest. Clear Fork has outscored its four opponents, 194-36.
“We told the kids this was gonna be a battle tonight. These are tough kids, just like we are. We knew they would come up here and fight. They have a lot of guys back from last year. They are the Union County equivalent of Clear Fork … rural, tough guys who are gonna brawl for four quarters. Plus, they’re good,” Carroll said.
The two teams both started with lengthy scoring drives. Clear Fork took the opening kick and marched 75 yards, taking a 7-0 lead with 7:54 left in the quarter on a 5-yard run by Schaefer.
The Wildcats answered with a 71-yard march, concluding with a 7-yard TD run by sophomore running back Trevor Moran just over three minutes later.
Moran (6-0, 185) gave Clear Fork trouble all night, finishing with 141 yards on 23 carries.
“He’s good,” Carroll said.
Clear Fork regained the lead at 14-7 with just 51 seconds left before halftime when South connected on a 24-yard TD pass to junior wide receiver Gabe Blauser.
The Wildcats tied the game at 14 with 4:53 left in the third quarter on a 30-yard TD pass from senior QB Anthony Padovano to junior Carson Smith. Despite the scoring strike, Padovano completed just 6-of-20 passes for 57 yards, the lone TD and two interceptions.
On Clear Fork’s next possession, Schaefer fired a 63-yard bomb to senior wide receiver Zach Homerick, setting the Colts up on North Union’s 11-yard line. Schaefer scored a few players later on a 3-yard run with 1:30 left in the third, putting Clear Fork up 21-14.
The Colts put the game away in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter on a 10-yard TD run by Schaefer, a 1-yard run by senior Trevon Trammell and a 15-yard scoring run by junior Collin Crider.
EFFORT IS EVERYTHING: Carroll knows his team, which posted an 11-1 mark last season, has talent. He is pressing for more from his Colts.
With a league schedule ahead that includes Galion (3-1), Ontario (3-1) and Marion Pleasant (4-0), Carroll said it will take more than physical skill.
“We have speed. We have some size. It’s not about that. If we didn’t have that stuff, we would be in trouble. It’s all about going hard for six seconds on every single play for four quarters,” the veteran coach said.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Clear Fork finished with 322 yards of offense, including 38 carries for 155 yards. Schaefer and South combined to complete 9-of-13 passes for 167 yards. Homerick led the Colts with three catches for 79 yards. North Union rushed for 237 yards on 36 carries and finished with 294 yards total offense.
UP NEXT: Clear Fork is at Buckeye Valley (1-3) next Friday in another MOAC game. North Union hosts Ontario that same evening.
