BELLVILLE — Friday was a good night to be named Staab at the Colt Corral.
Senior Elizabeth Staab was crowned Homecoming queen during a pregame ceremony then watched from her throne as freshman brother Thomas Staab hauled in a victory-clinching 81 yard touchdown pass with 4:22 left in the fourth quarter of Clear Fork’s 35-26 win over backyard rival Lexington.
It was the second scoring grab of the night for the younger Staab. He hauled in a 3-yarder from quarterback Kadin Chrastina late in the first half.
“The seniors had to go out there (for pregame festivities) and when they came back in they said my sister was the Homecoming queen,” Thomas Staab said. “I figured I might as well try my hardest for her.”
Staab’s back-breaker came on third and 16 with the Colts clinging to a 28-26 lead and made up for a missed block on the previous play. The 5-foot-9, 150-pounder was bulled over by Lexington’s Ryan Cooper while attempting to clear a path for ball carrier Silas Finley, resulting in a 2 yard loss.
“That was not my best blocking,” Staab said with a smile. “I struggled that entire series until that last play.
“The touchdown was just a go route. I had to get past the very last line of defense and once I did I looked back and it was right on the money. It couldn’t have been placed any better.”
Momentum Swing: The Colts jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a 40 yard Chrastina scramble, but Lex tied it on quarterback Joey Vore’s 1 yard keeper and took the lead on an 8 yard Colin Christman run early in the second quarter.
The score would stay that way until Staab’s 3 yard catch with just 11 seconds to play before halftime.
The Minutemen fumbled the ensuing kickoff deep in their own territory and the Colts recovered. On the final play of the first half, Jarrod Smith scored from 5 yards out to give the Colts a 21-13 lead.
“We have had turnovers and breakdowns where we allowed big plays,” Lexington coach Taylor Gerhardt said. “We gave up the two late scores, but the boys believe in themselves. There was a lot of energy in that locker room at halftime.”
Early start: The Colts, who have been plagued by second-half breakdowns and blunders the past two weeks, couldn’t stay out of their own way for much of the first half Friday. Lexington spent most of the opening two quarters with the ball in Clear Fork territory.
“We didn’t mess around tonight. We started making mistakes in the first quarter,” Carroll joked. “I have a teenage daughter and if anybody can tell me exactly what’s going on inside the head of a teenager … I’m ready to listen.”
Woody Hayes Sighting: Thomas and Elizabeth Staab’s father, Clear Fork baseball coach Rusty Staab, dressed like former OSU coach Woody Hayes to escort his daughter across the field.
“He loves Woody Hayes,” Thomas Staab said. “It’s a tradition. Once he found out Elizabeth was on the court he said, ‘I finally get to break out the Woody Hayes stuff.’ He’s done if for all my sisters.”
Up Next: Clear Fork (3-2, 1-1) is at Wooster (2-3, 1-1) next week. Lexington (0-5, 0-2) hosts Madison (2-3, 0-2). Wooster beat Madison 21-14 last night.
