Clear Lake quarterback Jake Soderquist releases a pass down the field. Soderquist passed for three touchdowns and ran for another score in a 43-33 win over Kelseyville. (Photos by Brian Sumpter)
LAKEPORT — A take-charge third quarter made all the difference Friday night as the Clear Lake Cardinals beat the Kelseyville Knights 43-33 in a highly entertaining Bass Bowl XII at Don Owens Stadium in Lakeport.
While the Cardinals (1-0 league, 4-0 overall) never trailed in this one, it's also true the Knights (0-1, 0-4) never went away, which is exactly what you would expect in a rivalry game as big as this one.
"We're a heck of a lot better than our record shows," Kelseyville head coach Erick Larsen said. "I'm really proud of our boys for the way they played."
Clear Lake's Saul Reyes clutches the Bass Bowl trophy following the Cardinals' 43-33 win over Kelseyville.
"The difference is that we came out in the second half and played like we can play," Clear Lake head coach Mark Cory said of a third quarter that was completely dominated by the Cardinals, that following a 23-21 first half where the difference was a safety Clear Lake scored midway through the first quarter when Tony Gersalia tackled a Kelseyville running back in the end zone.
Clear Lake and Kelseyville traded touchdowns throughout the first half before the Cardinals — both offensively and defensively — made a strong statement in the third quarter.
Third quarter
The Cardinals took the kickoff and marched 88 yards in nine plays, the final one a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jake Soderquist, who rolled left and then threw back to his right to a wide open Saul Reyes.
Clear Lake's defense forced a three-and-out before the Cardinals were right back on offense, this time with much better field position at their own 42. Despite two holding penalties that were somewhat offset by an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty on the Knights, Clear Lake ended up covering the 68 yards to the end zone in seven plays, a mix of runs and passes, before running back Hank Ollenberger shot up the middle nearly untouched on a third-and-goal play from the 7-yard line.
And just like that the Cardinals had a 36-21 lead.
Kelseyville quarterback Luke Watkins follows the flight of his pass as Clear Lake's Hank Ollenberger applies some pressure. Watkins passed for two touchdowns and ran for two others in a 43-33 loss to Clear Lake.
Clear Lake's defense allowed one first down before forcing another punt as the Cardinals started at their own 6 in the final seconds of the quarter.
Cory said he didn't raise his voice at halftime to inspire his team in the second half, though he had every right to after the Cardinals committed two 15-yard penalties on one play (horse collar tackle and unsportsmanlike conduct) to help Kelseyville score right before halftime on a beautifully thrown 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Luke Watkins to wide receiver Reme Strong. That cut Clear Lake's lead to 23-21.
Quarterbacks excel
Both quarterbacks played well in this one.
Soderquist passed for 232 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 112 yards and a score. Watkins had 118 yards through the air with two TDs and 106 yards and two TDs rushing.
"Jake had a really good game overall even though he threw his first interception of the season," Cory said.
Soderquist missed his previous start against Rio Vista with a sore calf and he had to leave the game for the same reason late during the Cardinals' second long scoring drive of the third quarter, backup Graden Greer coming on to throw an 11-yard pass to Jesse Hayes right before Ollenberger's touchdown run.
Clear Lake's Tony Gersalia drops a Kelseyville running back for a loss.
Soderquist was back on the field later in the quarter.
Even with Clear Lake's big third quarter, Kelseyville kept fighting back. The Knights moved 51 yards on 10 straight running plays in the fourth quarter, Watkins scoring on a 4-yard keeper to make it 36-27.
The Cardinals needed only four plays to answer, and they were all runs, to go back up 43-27.
"On that last scoring drive, we were going to run the ball and it was like 'You gotta stop us,'" Cory said of the Knights.
And that didn't happen. Jesse Hayes gained 4 and 14 yards on back-to-back runs, then Ollenberger, whose 37-yard punt return gave the Cardinals great starting position at the Kelseyville 44, broke off a huge 25-yard run straight up the middle. Soderquist scored on a 1-yard sneak on first-and-goal.
Apart from providing excellent run blocking, Clear Lake's offensive line went a fourth straight game without allowing a quarterback sack.
The 43-27 deficit didn't stop Kelseyville from clawing its way back. The Knights closed to 43-33 on a 22-yard pass from Watkins to Joey Gentle, who hauled in the perfectly placed pass in the back of the end zone with 3:06 remaining. Needing a two-point conversion to stay within a score of the Cardinals, the Knights came up short when Clear Lake's defense stuffed a run well short of the goal line.
Clear Lake used up a minute and a half before punting the ball back to the Knights, who lost possession on downs with only seconds remaining, and the Cardinals took a knee to put Bass Bowl XII in the books, their third straight win in the series.
First half
Clear Lake scored on its second play from scrimmage as Ollenberger gathered in a 5-yard pass from Soderquist, beat one Kelseyville defender to reach the sideline, and outraced the pursuit all the way to the end zone 80 yards away.
Kelseyville pulled even at 7-7 on its next possession, fullback Sam Vanoven (97 yards on 21 carries) scoring on a 3-yard run one play after Watkins' 45-yard strike to Strong on a third-and-eight play.
"He played great," Larsen said of Vanoven, who was a game-time decision after sitting out the Knights' previous game, a 27-26 loss to Sonoma Valley, with an injury.
Gersalia's tackle in the end zone for a safety put Clear Lake ahead to stay at 9-7. The Cardinals went up 16-7 with 37.6 seconds left in the opening quarter on a 3-yard Ollenberger run that was set up by a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty on the Knights.
Kelseyville closed to 16-14 with 9:46 remaining in the second quarter on a Watkins 1-yard run, but Clear Lake quickly answered, going 76 yards in six plays, the final one a 30-yard touchdown pass from Soderquist to Jesse Hayes, who worked his way behind a single Kelseyville defender in the end zone to make the catch.
It looked like 23-14 might be the halftime score, but the Knights made the most of 30 yards worth of penalties on the Cardinals in the final seconds to make it a two-point game when Watkins and Strong hooked up for their 16-yard score.
Series
The Kelseyville-Clear Lake rivalry officially became the Bass Bowl in 2010. In the 12 games that have been played since — their was no game in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic — the Knights hold a 7-5 lead although the Cardinals are now on their longest winning streak of the series. Kelseyville won six in a row between 2013-2018.
Game notes: Ollenberger finished with 152 yards of total offense and three touchdowns — 72 yards rushing on 17 carries and 80 yards on his first-quarter touchdown catch ... Jesse Hayes caught fight passes for 70 yards ... Kelseyville's Strong had a busy night as well with two catches for 61 yards and a TD, a fumble recovery and an interception ... Clear Lake had 416 yards of total offense to Kelseyville's 321 ... The two teams combined for 160 yards worth of penalties ... Kelseyville won the junior varsity game 40-19 to improve to 3-1 on the season.
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