MADISON TOWNSHIP — A dramatic reversal of fortune, peppered by a dominating defensive effort, helped Clear Fork dump Madison 31-28 on Friday night, wrecking the Rams’ homecoming in the process.
“That was probably our best quarter of the year,” Colts’ junior Matt Thran said. “It was off-the-charts awesome.”
The fourth quarter began with Madison on top 21-12 and seemingly in control. It ended with Clear Fork in unstoppable mode during a span of 7:20. The Colts (3-4 overall, 1-3 in the Ohio Cardinal Conference) scored 19 unanswered points with a punishing ground game to snap a four-game losing streak.
“(The first half) was probably the worst half we’ve played in five or six weeks,” Clear Fork coach Dave Carroll said. “We weren’t playing with the energy level, passion and demeanor we needed.
“We challenged them in the locker room at halftime and we played like a different team.”
The Colts broke on top 6-0 when Bryce Lyon raced 42 yards for a score midway through the first quarter. Madison’s Tyrell Ajian answered with a 57-yard TD dash, and Charles Keesee’s PAT was the difference in the Rams 7-6 edge.
Senior quarterback Trestan Vail tossed a 17-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Jackson, and after Clear Fork’s Ian McDaniel responded with a 2-yard TD plunge, Vail found Ajian again for a 12-yard score. That made it 21-12 at the half, and it stayed that way heading to the final 12 minutes.
But the Colts’ defense began a blitzing spree Madison (2-5, 0-4) couldn’t solve, and the Clear Fork offense fed off that momentum.
“We knew when we lost (starting quarterback Thomas Staab a couple of weeks ago) it was going to be tough,” Thran said. “We’ve been pushing and pushing and we’re working through it.”
Sloan Bowman’s 16-yard TD jaunt pulled the Colts within 21-18 at the 8:55 mark. Thran then put Clear Fork ahead for good, capping a long scoring drive with a 9-yard sweep.
After stuffing Madison deep in its own territory, sophomore QB Jared Schaefer plunged in from a yard away to make it 31-21 with 1:35 remaining.
Vail fired a 23-yard touchdown pass to Blake Dinsmore with 38 seconds showing, but the Colts recovered the onside kick to finish it.
“When we started blitzing more they had trouble with that,” Carroll said. “I think that was the big difference right there.”
Clear Fork controlled the line of scrimmage, with 322 yards rushing, compared to 161 for the Rams. Ajian ran for 101 yards to lead everyone, but less than 20 in the second half.
“It was a great game, both teams going back and forth in the fourth quarter,” Carroll said.
