This one was personal for the Clarke football team. Quarterback Matt Kurz was in the middle of a terrific season. And yet no one talked about the Rams offense.
The defense stood up against high-scoring Wantagh and Floral Park and came away with two important victories in conference play. And yet they were given little credit.
“We felt we were coming together just at the right time,” Kurz said. “And we also felt snubbed. Other teams were getting all the accolades. And we expected to be very good this year, and we’ve had big wins. So why not us?”
The Rams forced two first-quarter turnovers to help open a 22-point lead on the way to a 40-7 win over Division in a Nassau Conference III football game Saturday in Westbury. Clarke improved to 6-2 and will visit Wantagh in a first-round playoff game next week.
Division, needing a win for a playoff berth, traveled to Clarke with the highest scoring offense in the conference and a record-breaking quarterback in senior Tim Stanley.
Stanley, Nassau’s leader in passing yardage and touchdowns, was carving up opposing defensive units, scoring 40 points per game and throwing for an average of 281 yards a game. Division was poised to earn a playoff spot.
Not on this day. And not against this Clarke defense.
Clarke executed a well-designed defensive game plan to record two interceptions, including a Pick 6, a fumble recovery, five sacks and two blocked punts.
“They’re a pass heavy offense and we put so much pressure on the quarterback,” Clarke middle linebacker Ryan Connelly said. “He was forced from the pocket all game. And when they tried to mix it up and run the ball, we stopped that too.”
The Rams defense held the highest scoring offense in the conference to 42 total yards on 27 plays in the first half as they opened a 40-point lead.
“We’re an athletic defense,” Clarke coach Kevin O’Hagan said. “We move well up front which allows us to stunt and blitz all the time. We pick up tendencies on film and adjust with our defensive coordinator Tim O’Malley and execute.”
The teams played with a running clock in the second half.
“They put together a great defensive plan,” Division coach Joe Hartmann said. “We had max protection, and they were still able to keep Tim on the move. It was a frustrating day.”
And the Clarke offense was also impressive, scoring on four of five first-half possessions. The Rams opened the scoring with a four-play, 55-yard drive capped by a Kurz 41-yard touchdown run for the 6-0 lead.
“It was a designed run,” said Kurz. “And the line just opened a huge hole.”
The Clarke defense was up next. On a third down and 10 pass, Stanley overshot his intended receiver, and Alex Frank made the interception. Frank broke a few tackles on his way to a 61-yard Pick 6. Kurz added the two-point conversion run for the 14-0 lead with 8:55 left in the first quarter.
On Division’s next possession, David Ouesada blocked a punt at the 10-yard line and the ball bounced into the end zone where he made the recovery for another defensive touchdown.
“The defense executed in all areas of the game,” O’Hagan said. “We have two very tall defensive ends in Lincoln Failla (6-4) and Justin Montez (6-3) and they make it hard to throw it down the field.”
The inside pressure repeatedly forced Stanley out of the pocket and into Failla and Montez. After four straight incomplete passes, Clarke took over at its 46 and Kurz then drove the Rams 54 yards in eight plays before he went up the middle on a quarterback draw for a 19-yard TD run and the 28-0 lead with 8:36 left in the half.
Liam Morgan sacked Stanley for a loss of 13 yards, forcing the Blue Dragons to punt from their own 8-yard line. The punt was tipped, and the Rams took over at the 15. Frank took a reverse handoff and scored untouched for the 34-0 lead on the next play.
“We’re not big on stats, just wins,” Kurz said. “We have a very tough schedule, but we come to play every week.”