Clear Fork Controls Own Destiny; Prepares For River Valley

After a tough overtime loss at home last week to Highland, the Clear Fork Colts must now refocus their attention and move forward to the ultimate goal, which is making the playoffs. Standing in their way are their last two opponents, River Valley and Galion. With both games being on the road, it’s going to test the Colts both physically and mentally, but over the last couple of seasons, the Colts have shown that resilience is in their DNA.

This week, Clear Fork makes the trip to Marion County for the second time this season and will face River Valley, a team the Colts soundly defeated last season 34-10. The defense will be tested as they face an offense that loves to attack through the air. Viking quarterback Chase Smith leads the MOAC in total completions and is currently second in the conference in passing yards. The biggest thing going for Clear Fork’s defense is that Smith leads the MOAC in interceptions. Turnovers can be a team’s best friend when they need a spark.

Offensively, the Colts have a big opportunity to put some points on the board this week against a River Valley defense that is below average in the conference overall. Quarterback Marcus Hoeflich will look to get back to the football he was playing in the first six weeks to lead his team to victory Friday. The Colt's will also look to Hoeflich in the run game as he is also the team’s leading rusher.

Last week against Highland, penalties continued to be an issue for the Colts, adding five more. Clear Fork is currently averaging just over six penalties per game and has accumulated 51 for 420 yards total this season. Highland’s Kane Stover also had a big night on the ground. For only the second time all season, the Colts allowed 100 yards rushing in a single game. Plain and simple, Clear Fork knows their line play needs to be at its best if they want to win these final two games and make the playoffs. Currently, Clear Fork sits in the ninth spot in Division Four Region 14 as they control their own destiny. Moments like these show exactly what a team is made for.

It’s going to be interesting to see how the Colts respond Friday night after heartbreaking back-to-back losses. You can catch Friday night’s game on our VSBN airwaves at 6:40 PM on vsbnradio.com.