While by no means bleak, the conditions were not exactly perfect for Clarkston on Sept. 9 during their home opener as they trailed Farmington Hills Harrison 16-7 at the start of the fourth quarter.
The Hawks had the ball at midfield, but one fluke fumble later, the clouds began to part. On Clarkston’s subsequent first play from scrimmage following the turnover, senior running back Nick DeVault was a ray of light, darting into the endzone from 27 yards out.
‘DeVault did a great job, and ‘the hogs? took over in the second half too,? said Clarkston Coach Kurt Richardson. ‘That was a great high school football game. I know there was some hitting out there tonight.?
DeVault, whose touchdown just 10 seconds into the final quarter cut the deficit to 16-14 after junior Mike Breen’s kick, was just gettting started as the spry runner gained 104 of his 116 yards and scored Clarkston’s final touchdown of the game.
‘In the first half my head was kind of in a different place. But, in the second half, I got a good pep talk from the coaches and turned my game around,? said DeVault
DeVault’s second touchdown, after another Breen conversion, made the score 27-16, which was the final tally four minutes later.
‘Part of (the fourth quarter success) was our 70 (players) versus their 39 (players). I think (Harrison) got worn down a little bit … but I’ll tell you what, we played excellent football tonight,? said Richardson.
Harrison suffered significant injuries during the game. Hawks? running back Norman Shuford, who accounted for 63 yards and a touchdown on his team’s 80 yard drive to open the game, tore his MCL and ACL on Harrison’s second drive while blocking for quarterback Barron Cline. Cline, due to a hand injury also could not finish the game.
‘That’s football,? said Harrison Coach John Herrington, referring to his team’s injuries. ‘Clarkston stepped up when they had to and they did what they had to do. We still had the lead, 16-14; Clarkston came back strong.?
After DeVault’s first score gave Clarkston much needed momentum, the defense forced the Hawks into a three and out offensive series. On their next possesion, Clarkston’s offense covered 60 yards on a six play drive culminating with senior quarterback Mike Kittle’s second rushing touchdown of the game, a plunge from less than a yard out on third down with 8:45 left in the game.
‘There was so much hype going into this game. We knew this game was going to be a season swinger. We hoped that we could come out with a win and just get on a roll,? said DeVault.
Kittle was injured and taken off the field on a stretcher at the end of Clarkston’s win against West Bloomfield on Sept.19. He sat out of practice early in the week, and played with no visible signs of injury, accumulating 66 yards rushing and 65 yards passing to go with a pair of touchdowns.
Breen converted three extra points but his most critical contribution came after having a punt blocked. Punting from the Wolves endzone with 9:09 remaining in the third quarter and Clarkston trailing 10-7, Breen’s kick wobbled high in the air, but moved only laterally and hit at the six-yard-line. Breen however converted crisis into opportunity, scooped the ball up as it bounced towards the goal line and ran past the marker for a Clarkston first down.
‘The play on the blocked punt was crucial because otherwise they would have had the ball on the six. He’s a pretty heady kid,? said Richardson of Breen.
While the Wolves did not score on the ensuing drive, they did chew up six minutes off the clock. Harrison did score once they wrested the ball back, on a 63-yard scamper by Deante Thomkins making the score 16-7 and setting up the fourth quarter drama.
‘This win proves we are a legitimate contender. There were some questions after the Adams game, but I think we proved ourselves tonight. We made some strides last week and I think we made even more strides this week,? said Richardson
Clarkston lost their first game of the season on Aug. 26 to current OAA Division I leader Rochester Adams, who moved to 3-0 on the season after beating Lake Orion on Sept. 9.
Next week, Clarkston plays on the road against Troy High on Sept. 16 in another OAA showdown.