Clear Fork Looks to Put Loss Behind in Crucial Road Test at Highland

BELLVILLE, Ohio — The Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship may no longer be within Clear Fork’s control, but there is still plenty for the Colts to play for.

In fact, Friday night’s trip to Highland might be one of Clear Fork’s most important games of the season. The Colts enter Week 8 at 5-2 following a frustrating 28-21 home loss to undefeated Shelby. Now Clear Fork travels to Marengo to face a 3-4 Highland team that delivered one of the Colts’ most disappointing defeats of the 2025 season.

With Clear Fork currently sitting fourth in the OHSAA Division IV, Region 14 computer ratings, every remaining game carries postseason implications. The top 12 teams qualify for the playoffs this season, but the top four receive a first-round bye. Clear Fork currently occupies that final bye position. There is little room for another slip-up.

Last Friday’s showdown against Shelby had nearly everything you would expect from two of the area’s best football programs — physicality, emotion, big plays and playoff implications.

Unfortunately, it also had flags. Lots of them. Shelby escaped the Colt Corral with a 28-21 victory in a game that featured an incredible 26 penalties for 281 combined penalty yards. Clear Fork was flagged 12 times for 139 yards, while Shelby committed 14 penalties for 142 yards.

The Colts still had opportunities. Clear Fork produced 310 yards of offense against one of the area’s best defenses, but Shelby made enough plays to remain unbeaten. Trey Sellers contributed 49 rushing yards and 57 receiving yards for the Colts, while Quentin Rinehart finished with 62 receiving yards.

The loss dropped Clear Fork to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the MOAC. More importantly, it essentially removed the Colts from the conference championship race.

Head coach Aaron Brokaw’s message afterward was about how his team responded. “The mark of a good football team is keeping the same mentality where it always is,” Brokaw said following the loss. “It’s all about next week and getting ready for Highland.” That’s exactly where Clear Fork’s attention needs to be.

There is another lesson Clear Fork can take into Friday night. Don’t let the same opponent hurt you twice. Shelby handed Clear Fork one of its most lopsided losses last season, defeating the Colts 52-14. This year provided an opportunity for revenge at home, but the Whippets once again found a way to win, this time 28-21.

Clear Fork cannot allow that same story to unfold against Highland. The Fighting Scots walked into the Colt Corral last October and stunned Clear Fork 13-10 in overtime. It was a particularly painful loss because Clear Fork entered the night riding a five-game home winning streak. Highland, meanwhile, hadn’t won a road game in more than a year.

None of it mattered. The Scots found a way. Now the Colts get their opportunity for payback, only this time they have to do it on Highland’s field.

Highland enters Friday at 3-4, but this isn’t a game Clear Fork can afford to overlook. The Fighting Scots have won consecutive games after defeating Galion 24-21 and surviving River Valley 34-33 last week. Highland’s defense was particularly impressive against Galion. The Scots recorded 10 tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and a safety while holding Galion to only 63 rushing yards.

That should immediately grab Clear Fork’s attention. The Colts want to establish the running game. Entering last week’s Shelby matchup, Clear Fork was averaging more than 240 rushing yards per game.

That means Friday could become a battle at the line of scrimmage. If Highland can disrupt Clear Fork’s rushing attack and create long-yardage situations, the Scots could make life uncomfortable. Clear Fork can’t allow that to happen.

The Colts don’t need to reinvent themselves after losing to Shelby. They need to get back to what made them successful through the first six weeks.

Clear Fork started the season 5-1 behind a physical rushing attack and a defense that had been extremely difficult to score against. Before facing Shelby, the Colts were allowing just 9.5 points per game and fewer than 94 rushing yards per contest. That’s Clear Fork football. Run the football. Control the clock. Play physical defense. Avoid costly mistakes. And when opportunities arrive, finish drives.

Quarterback Marcus Hoeflich remains one of the most important pieces of the offense, while running Trey Sellers gives Clear Fork another threat in the running game and the ability to attack through the air when defenses load the box.

Defensively, Alex Schlosser has been one of the players setting the tone. Entering the Shelby game, Schlosser had 34 tackles, seven tackles for loss and seven sacks. Clear Fork needs those veteran players to set the tone Friday.

A week ago, Clear Fork entered the Shelby game ranked No. 1 in Division IV, Region 14.

After the loss, the Colts have fallen to No. 4. Shelby has jumped to No. 1, followed by Ottawa-Glandorf and Perkins. Clear Fork sits fourth with a computer rating of 12.4571, comfortably ahead of No. 5 Otsego for the moment.

That fourth spot matters tremendously. Under the 2026 playoff format, only 12 teams in each region qualify. The top four seeds don’t have to play in the opening round and advance directly to the regional quarterfinals.

Clear Fork is holding the final ticket to that bye right now.

The Colts need to protect it. A victory over Highland would move Clear Fork to 6-2 and provide valuable computer points against a Fighting Scots team that currently sits No. 11 in the same region.

A loss could open the door for the teams chasing the Colts. Suddenly, Friday night isn’t simply about bouncing back from Shelby. It’s about positioning Clear Fork for November.

Sometimes those are the losses a program remembers because they reinforce how thin the margin can be on a Friday night. Clear Fork was the better team on paper entering that matchup.Highland won anyway. The Colts cannot travel to Marengo believing a victory will simply happen because they’re 5-2 and Highland is 3-4. They have to take it.

That’s also where last week’s loss to Shelby can become useful.

Clear Fork has now seen what happens when opportunities aren’t converted against a quality opponent. It has experienced the frustration of penalties disrupting the rhythm of a huge game. And for the second consecutive season, the Colts have watched Shelby walk away victorious.