Mathews’ 6 TDs pace Wildcats in shootout
Clear Creek quarterback Sam Mathews figured the best way to slow the high-octane offense of Clear Brook was simply to keep the ball out of the Wolverines’ hands.
Mathews fulfilled that goal, rushing for 287 yards and five touchdowns while throwing for another score, leading Clear Creek to a 55-42 victory over previously unbeaten Brook in a District 24-6A shootout.
The senior quarterback rushed 24 times for his staggering total while completing 7 of 14 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown.
Mathews ran for scores of 54 and 58 yards in the third quarter and threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Stavros Karamitsos in the final period as Creek never punted in the game.
Big win for Warden
The win improved Clear Creek to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in district, while Brook fell to 3-1 and 1-1.
“It starts at practice — I thank my whole team and the offensive line,” Mathews said. “Our defense started slow and we had to put a few points on the board. Once we got ahead, it was a chasing game for them. We just had to put the gas pedal down and finish.”
Creek head coach Darrell Warden, hoping to author a playoff berth in his final season, was just happy to escape with a win.
“These kids are getting better every week,” the Creek head coach said. “I was hoping Sam would just slide down on that last touchdown run so we could run the clock out, but I guess it worked out OK for us.
“I’m real proud of these guys. They’re a fun group to coach and they gave a good effort.”
Clear Brook head coach Mike Allison said his team had no answer for Creek’s potent offense.
“Creek has a bunch of kids that are well-coached, and coach Warden does a great job with those kids,” Allison said. “They played harder than we did. They beat us and all the credit goes to them.
“As as head coach, I have to do a better job of getting our kids prepared. I think we need to do a couple of things different at practice so we’re ready for different things that happen in a game. It wasn’t our kids not playing our best, it was a great game plan by Creek’s staff.”
Creek ran 70 plays to just 43 for Brook, and the Wildcats never trailed in the second half after taking a 28-21 lead.
Neither team could stop the other in a first half that ended in a 21-21 tie.
Wolverines strike first
The Wolverines scored on the first possession of the game, marching 78 yards in six plays with the drive being finalized on a 5-yard scoring pass from quarterback Jaizac Garcia to wide receiver Caleb Chapman at 10:04 of the first quarter.
Clear Creek responded with a 77-yard touchdown drive in eight plays with Mathews scoring on a 3-yard run at 6:54 of the opening period. The big installment in that march was a 42-yard completion from Mathews to Stavros Karamitsos. Brook gained the edge at 14-7 on a 32-yard scoring pass from Garcia to Chapman to cap an 8-play, 80-yard drive just 42 seconds into the second quarter.
Creek would answer with consecutive touchdowns to gain a 21-14 advantage. Its first score came on a 1-yard plunge by Mathews, who engineered an 8-play, 75-yard scoring drive. A 28-yard hookup with Karamitsos highlighted that march.