EDITOR’S NOTE: We had a misidentified name in the original headline of this story. Richland Source made the error, and it was corrected by Clear Fork Sports Facebook page. We appreciate the correction and apologize for the error.
BELLVILLE — Otsego’s highly touted offense was nothing but a rumor when it met the Clear Fork defense on Friday night.
On the other hand, the Colts wasted no time flashing their own pyrotechnics to key a convincing 38-0 romp over the fifth-seeded Knights in the Division IV, Region 14 playoff encounter.
Otsego crashed through the 60-point barrier in its last two games, a 62-0 beating of Fostoria, and a 63-27 pasting of Van Wert in last week’s playoff clash. Then it arrived in The Valley — and received a rude awakening in the Colt Corral.
The fourth-seeded Colts forced a punt on the visitors’ first possession and Trey Sellers took a handoff for a 55-yard sprint. Quarterback Marcus Hoeflich followed with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Nash Evans for a quick, 7-0 lead.
Sellers tacked on two more TD blasts in the second quarter, from 24 and 3 yards, to make it 21-0.
Just before the half, Sellers scopped up a Knights’ fumble and raced more than 40 yards for his third touchdown of the night to expand the bulge to 28-0 at intermission.
Hoeflich struck again in the second half, connecting with Alekai Price on a 62-yard aerial for a 35-0 bulge at the end of the third quarter. That triggered the running clock to dash all hopes for Otsego.
Sellers finished his all-around exploits with 108 yards rushing. Hoeflich was 3-of-3 passing for 103 yards and added 65 yards rushing and 2 TD passes.
CF ran for 256 yards and averaged 7.5 yards per attempt. Clear Fork outgained the Knights 359-168. Otsego did not compete either of its two pass attempts.
The Colts have won four straight games to push their overall mark to 9-2. Next week Clear Fork travels to top-seeded Ottawa-Glandorf (11-0). Clear Fork’s last loss was a 28-21 decision to undefeated Shelby on Oct. 2.
The Titans knocked off ninth-seeded Medina Buckeye 28-14 on Friday night. This will be O-G’s first regional semifinal appearance since 2021.
Fifth-seeded Otsego finished the season 8-4. This decision halted a four-game winning streak, in which the Knights produced at least 40 points in every game.
(Photos by Katie Ellington Serrao)
