The Clinton Prairie Gophers defeated the Delphi Oracles 38-0 on Friday, picking up a key conference win.
“Proud of the effort from our boys last night,” Clinton Prairie coach Kurt Schlicher said. “We took a tough one on the chin last week against Sheridan, and I thought we really bounced back well last night.”
The Gophers scored just six points against Sheridan a week ago. They matched that total on their first drive when Gaige Kuzmicz completed a 12-yard pass to Braiden Jarboe for the touchdown.
The Gophers used three different quarterbacks on their first drive. Kuzmicz, Kye Jacobs and Brady Allen all took snaps behind center for Clinton Prairie.
“All three of our quarterbacks are very capable,” Schlicher said. “We like what Kye (Jacobs) can do for us. We’ve given Kye a few more snaps for us here and there in practice. But certainly that’s not an indictment on how Gaige (Kuzmicz) and Brady (Allen) are playing. Obviously (Friday night), both of the boys played very well.”
Shortly after their first score, Wyatt Harhsbarger gave the Gophers another possession as he jumped the route to intercept Delphi quarterback Kayden McAtee.
Clinton Prairie scored quickly on a touchdown pass from Brady Allen to Trenden Kaser, making it 12-0 halfway through the first.
Delphi’s offensive struggles continued on their next possession. After a first down, the Gophers forced a fumble, which was scooped up by Alex King.
Less than a minute later, Braiden Jarboe took a pitch and broke it to the outside, breaking a tackle for a 60-yard score.
“We were able to get our ground game going,” Schlicher said. “I thought Braiden Jarboe ran the ball very well and Hunter Cooper, before his injury, was running really hard.”
After a Delphi punt, Clinton Prairie put together a sustained drive, mixing both run and pass. Allen completed an 18-yard pass to Briaden Jarboe to cap off the drive, giving Jarboe the first-half hat trick and making it 24-0.
After the Oracles had a punt blocked, Delphi’s Logan Smith came up with an interception to give the Oracles some life.
The Gophers closed the door on the very next play, as Kye Jacobe came up with a one-handed interception and returned it 67 yards for the pick-six.
That play was designated as the Solidarity Community Federal Credit Union Play of the Game.
The Gophers managed the final minute of the first half well, forcing a punt with 53 seconds remaining. A good return by Jackson Price set up Clinton Prairie with a one-play, 27-yard touchdown pass drive as Allen connected with Kaser for a second time.
The Gophers took a 38-0 lead into halftime and would win the game by the same score.
It was a senior night win for Clinton Prairie, they move to 3-2 on the year. Delphi falls to 2-4 on the year.
The Seniors, including Jarboe, Jacobs and Allen, were named The Farmers Bank Players of the Game.
“We love our seniors,” Schlicher said. “We have a very nice group this year and I was really happy for them to be able to get a win on senior night.”
Watch the entire game archived on Hoosierland TV by clicking below.
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