(Clarinda, IA) – The playoffs are still alive for Clarinda. Success was in favor of the Cardinals last week in their win over Des Moines Christian 56-28. Offensively, the team was physical and efficient in both the rushing and the passing games which ended up favoring the Cardinals in the end. Head coach Connor Hanafan was proud of his team’s efficiency as they looked good both offensively and defensively.
Karson Downey led the running game with 23 carries for 141 yards rushing and even earned four touchdowns. He had multiple opportunities in the rushing game to be successful and play the best game of his career.
Noah Harris passed for 90 yards in the game and didn’t get a touchdown, but kept the ball moving offensively. Dominick Polsley rushed for 130 yards and earned a touchdown as they relied on him and Downey to get the ball moving downfield and he was able to keep the efficiency moving in the right direction for the Cardinals.
While the offense was playing well, so was the defense overall. Jase Wilmes had three tackles up front while also bringing down 2.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss as he seemed to find every hole the offensive line gave him.
Clarinda is taking on Kuemper Catholic this week who is a very well-oiled machine with a 7-2 record this season. They rely on Brock Badding as he has had over 1,600 passing yards as the Knights have relied on their passing game all season. Kuemper Catholic also relies on nine different players to run the ball as the team has 1,200 rushing yards combined. Coach Hanafan is looking to eliminate minor errors and establish the line of scrimmage.
Clarinda will take on Kuemper Catholic at Carroll Athletic Stadium this Friday night with a kickoff at 7:00 p.m.
(Click below to listen to this article)