The Clinton Prairie Gophers defeated the Clinton Central Bulldogs 27-0 in the Corn Bowl on Friday night.
Since the Corn Bowl trophy was created in 2021, the Gophers have won every matchup.
“I want to give a shout-out to the whole community,” Clinton Prairie head coach Kurt Schlicher said. “We had a great crowd (Friday) night, and as you know it was unbearably hot.”
Both offenses started slow, as turnovers and punts filled the first half.
Gaige Kuzmicz scored the lone first-half touchdown with a one-yard quarterback sneak late in the first quarter.
The Clinton Prairie defense continued its dominant start to the season. The Gophers haven’t allowed a point since the first quarter of week one against Frontier.
“When your defense is playing well, that allows your offense to maybe stumble a little,” Schlicher said.
As they have all season, Clinton Prairie came out strong in the second half.
Set up inside the 10, running back Alex King took a pitch and tossed a ball over the top of the defense to find Jackson Miller for the touchdown.
That play was named the Encompass Federal Credit Union Play of the Game.
Clinton Central had multiple explosive plays, including a 68-yard run from Kaleb Griffy and a 66-yard run from Luke Shelley that would have resulted in a touchdown, but was called back for a penalty.
The Gophers’ offensive line won the war of attrition up front, and Clinton Prairie added two more rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter, one by Ryder Mitchell and another by Kuzmicz.
Kuzmicz was named the First Bank Midwest Player of the Game, scoring two touchdowns and helping Clinton Prairie win the special teams battle with his punting.
“Gaige is a competitor; he’s been around,” Schlicher said. “His running game, his ability to run I should say, has helped our running game tremendously.”
It was the Gophers’ eighth straight win over Clinton Central and their first 3-0 start since 2023.
Clinton Prairie will look to remain undefeated when they take on Rochester next week.
The Bulldogs hope to bounce back against a strong Sheridan team.
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