In 2013, Clifton-Clyde faced Axtell in a Twin Valley League matchup. Clifton-Clyde, under veteran coach Russ Steinbrock, traveled to Axtell against first-year head coach Eric Detweiler. Axtell won that game 44-26 and finished 6-3. Clifton-Clyde, known for its single wing power-run offense, eventually finished 9-3. The Eagles lost a one-score game to eventual state champion Osborne in the state semifinals.
Then-quarterback Caleb Gelino set an eight-man team record with 49 pass completions. The Eagles’ offense recorded 83 percent of its yards on the ground and averaged 50.8 points a game. This marks Clifton-Clyde’s last trip to the final four. Clifton-Clyde has remained a consistent winner, though has continually ran into historically great offenses and skill players in the postseason, including Little River’s Jayden Garrison and Canton-Galva’s Tyson Struber.
Steinbrock, one of the state’s longest-tenured and respected eight-man coaches, stands at 139-71 in 22 years, including a state runner-up. As the seasons have progressed, Clifton-Clyde has thrown more frequently, especially to open up the offense around 2017 to ’18.
“When I first started, we just really never had that kid that was a true quarterback,” Steinbrock said.
In a 7-2 mark last fall, the Eagles had 70 percent of their yards on the ground. It set a team mark for highest passing yards per game at 88. That broke a record set the prior year.
After two games in 2022, Clifton-Clyde could again raise the passing record standard – and possibly have its best finish in at least nine seasons. In the last couple of years, Steinbrock said the Eagles had not found their identity until mid to late season. That has changed in 2022.
“Probably what I am kind of most pleased with I guess is just kind of how we are starting to learn what our identity is. If it was up to me, we would just run our power stuff like we have done in years past,” Steinbrock said. “But it seems like over the last four or five years, we have kind of slowly just been moving away from that, and going to more of a multiple set, kind of spread formations, just based on the type that we have got. So it’s kind of hard for me to give that up, but each year, I have kind of loosened up a little bit more on that, kind of went to what works best for us.”
The Eagles, 2-0 and ranked third by KPreps in Eight-Man, Division I, have a pair of blowout wins, including 52-6 against rival Hanover in Week 1. Clifton-Clyde has passed for 105 yards a game and rushed for 117.5. Non-seniors Trent Long and Jack Skoncy have both played quarterback, while senior Maison Slater has 12 catches for 140 yards and two scores.
On Friday for Military Appreciation Night, the Eagles play host to Axtell for the first time in nine years. Detweiler still quickly recalled his first game versus Clifton-Clyde and is glad Axtell gets to face the Eagles again after the long hiatus. The teams are separated by just over an hour.
“I am kind of looking forward to the matchup,” Detweiler said.
Detweiler, an AHS graduate, has built Axtell into a juggernaut with a state runner-up in ’19 and undefeated state title last fall in Eight-Man, Division II. Axtell has won 15 straight contests, is 2-0 and ranked first in the classification.
“This year it’s just probably a little bit more moving in that direction of where we are going to be,” Steinbrock said. “A little bit smaller, but we are going to be pretty quick and pretty athletic, so we are not able to just run our double tight smashmouth coming down hill at you style of football that we used to do back 10 or so years ago.”
Clifton-Clyde has been Division I, while Axtell and Hanover have been Division II in recent years. Outside of a late scheduled game with Hanover because of COVID in 2020, Clifton-Clyde had not had Hanover on the slate since ’15. The first three weeks are normally open scheduling before districts and schedules that are set by the state.
“This year with our districts, it just worked out to where we were able to fit more league schools onto our schedule,” Steinbrock said. “This is probably the best travel schedule we have had in probably I am guessing the last six to eight years. It seems like district-wise, we had just been on a lot of three-hour plus road trips.”
Axtell had zero starting seniors in 2021 and paced Division II in scoring offense and defense. Senior quarterback Isaac Detweiler is the reigning classification offensive player of the year. Sophomores Brandon Schmelzle and Eli Broxterman have enjoyed standout careers. Schmelzle led all eight-man freshmen nationally in touchdowns, per MaxPreps.
The senior class started playing in a third/fourth grade league that has since dissolved.
Isaac had always played quarterback throughout his career in the younger ranks and high school except for freshman season when he primarily started at receiver. Schmelzle was a quarterback growing up. This summer, in a 7-on-7 league, Schmelzle played receiver. Broxterman has always played running back. Defensively, Brandon has been at defensive back, and Eli linebacker.
“They are kind of comfortable in those spots,” coach Detweiler said.
The line remains the same: senior end Evan Buessing, junior guard Sawyer Deters (6-1, 240), junior center Grant Buessing, first team all-state senior Owen Strathman, and junior end Grady Buessing. Axtell has been incredibly stout against the run since the start of ’21. Axtell uses its base defense, though also stunts, rolls and blitzes.
“It’s kind of an attitude adjustment where two years ago we kind of had younger kids out on the field and now we have kind of got bigger, stronger kids,” Detweiler said. “It’s probably the same kids honestly, but I think they have just kind of matured and grown.”
Axtell faced Cair Paravel in Week 1 in a rare matchup of two teams coming off undefeated seasons. Cair Paravel won the Kansas Christian championship and transitioned to KSHSAA this year. Axtell trailed at halftime before an 82-38 victory.
“In the first half against Cair Paravel, I don’t think we had any jitters,” coach Detweiler said. “I just think we hadn’t been in the routine of playing. We were making mistakes where we normally don’t make, and Cair Paravel is a good team.”
Isaac is long known for his intelligence, He copiously studies film with his father since seventh and eighth grade. In junior high, Detweiler was the manager for his dad’s high school team. Even in practice, Eric would discuss tactics with the high school juniors and seniors. Isaac would pick up the information, too.
“At least had the understanding of what we were trying to do,” coach Detweiler said.
Among other film time, father and son re-watch the game that just occurred each Friday night in the family living room. The work yielded 63 TDs accounted for last season. In Week 1, Detweiler accounted for 374 offensive yards and eight TDs.
Last week, Axtell blitzed Hartford, 54-0, including a blocked punt for a touchdown from Strathman. Axtell held Hartford to minus-3 yards.
Defensively, Eagle senior Maison Slater led all of Kansas and re-wrote the Clifton-Clyde record book with 12 interceptions as a junior. He has not picked off a pass this fall, though Clifton-Clyde has four INTs and held teams to minus-1.6 yards per rush. Slater has six tackles, while Payton Fahey and William Haas have both intercepted two passes.
“We have got some pretty athletic kids in the secondary that can defend the pass pretty well,” Steinbrock said.
Senior Seth LeClair (6-3, 225) is a returning first team all-state end. Steinbrock said LeClair has been the top defensive linemen. Kansas Damman has moved down to nose guard but will see some defensive end time. LeClair starts at guard and is probably the top offensive lineman.
Steinbrock said LeClair does a great job sealing the edge and driving defensive linemen off the ball. Damman has been rock solid at center. The offense scheme continues to undergo changes with the additional passing.
“They are just more balanced,” Detweiler said. “…before they were predominantly a run team there, a tight set, where they are just going to play smashmouth football, and now he’s kind of spread it out and he is throwing the ball I would say half the time.”
Long took over for Jett Skoncy, who set the mark with 707 passing yards last year. Jack Skoncy would prefer to stay in the pocket and throws an impressive ball.
“He’s a very sports-minded kid,” Steinbrock said of Long. “He’s very heady. He understands the game. He’s very competitive. He’s a good leader on the field. Does a good job when he has got the ball in his hands. He makes good decisions.
“He started to kind of come into some of those roles last year as a sophomore,” he added. “But really didn’t know this year if he was going to be the starting quarterback or more of our halfback. He’s definitely a power runner, he’s quick, he’s shifty. He could throw the ball, but he would rather run it if he could.”
Use your Facebook account to add a comment or start a discussion. Posts are subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment.
