Commentary: Cloverleaf football team deserves this moment

The greatest memories are often the most unexpected. Yours truly covered a football game from the sideline for the first time in nine years Friday when Cloverleaf traveled to Bay for the first round of the Division IV, Region 14 playoffs. Bay didn't have room in the "press" box, but I didn't mind because the skies were clear and there is an aura that can't be replicated when trying to remain anonymous in the heat of a battle that has, at the end of the day, nothing to do with you. The game turned out to be one of the wildest I've had the honor to document since the Wadsworth girls basketball team won the 2016 Division I state championship. The Colts' defense made three dramatic stands in the fourth quarter and pulled off a 42-35 upset, one of the biggest in Ohio that night considering Cloverleaf was a 21-point underdog (coincidentally, 28-point dog Medina stunned Strongsville as well). The first playoff victory in school history was an emotional roller coaster, but more so for the sparse crowd that made the trek to the quaint, well-off city near Lake Erie than for the players. Cloverleaf gave up 28 points in the third quarter, when it coughed up a 21-point lead in 6:38 of game time ... and won. How was the mood on the sideline? Well, this happened as I, decked out in a circa 2003ish Jerzees full-body camouflage suit and brand-spanking-new Carhartt hat, waited for the Colts to return a kickoff with the score tied at 35 late in the third quarter. Colts safety Ashton Gray: Hey, sir, that is an awesome outfit. You look good in it. Me, trying not to laugh: Thank you. This outfit is older than you. Also me, slapping Gray on the back: Hey, rally the troops. You boys need to get your (act) together. Gray: I will. Don't worry. We got this. That right there encapsulates the culture Colts coach Justin Vorhies has built. That word — culture — is becoming as worn out as "diabolical," "bruh", "6-7" and capitalizing words on social media for click-bait effect, but there is no other way to describe the calm among the storm. No Medina County football coach is more positive-thinking than Vorhies, and his players followed his lead. Cloverleaf never sulked, never pointed fingers and barely even reacted with outward emotion, which is rare in the most emotional game in high school sports. The attitude was remarkably mature, as if life is going to present challenges, so you might as well attack them with vigor, mental toughness and focus. This is a team full of yes sir, no sir kids — a lost art in today's look-at-me world — who genuinely love each other's company. The same applies to Vorhies' staff, whose core has barely changed in 11 seasons because Vorhies genuinely wants what's best for the community, valuing the impact of developing great young men equally — if not more — to developing great football players. As Gray predicted, there was no need to worry. Isaac Smith flicked a 3-yard pop pass to Jimmy Tolley for the go-ahead score just 2:58 after the lead was lost, and big plays from Zayne Trent, Elliot Jordan and Tolley preserved a celebration on the FieldTurf at Bay Memorial Stadium that wasn't as unhinged as one might believe because the Colts did, in fact, believe they could win. The beauty of this Cloverleaf team is it is, without a doubt, a team. There are only five seniors — Ethan Gray, Dominic Nau, Austin Sprankle, David Hunter and Ethan Martin start, too — and no top player, rather a vast collection of good ones who are willing to sacrifice for the greater good. The Colts will not have many first-team All-Gazette selections considering the dominance of Highland and Wadsworth, but they may end up challenging Buckeye for the most honorable mentions. Consider the staggering number of position changes due to injuries: l Smith began last season as a standout wide receiver, yet has thrown for 1,037 yards and 15 touchdowns this fall. He also played cornerback against Bay after valuable Swiss Army knife Kellen Price exited with an elbow injury. l Keeping with that theme, Hunter rotated with Smith at corner for the first time this season so backup Grady Porter could come in to play his familiar position of safety. Trent, a quarterback by trade, also stepped in at wide receiver. l Staring center Sprankle, who's playing with a serious hip injury, and starting left guard Adam Gray were running backs during the preseason. l Jordan, who is continuing to follow a path to future stardom, has floated between outside linebacker and defensive end. On Friday, he even played a few snaps at his old position, nose tackle, during passing downs and started at tight end with injured all-league choice Brayden Beier done for the season. l Projected 2026 starting tailback Marzell Davis is now the fullback in a new-look pistol offense and blocked someone on every one of Ethan Gray's 39 rushing attempts. l Sophomore Jamere Johnson missed the first half of the season with an injury but has blossomed into a block-eating nose tackle that makes the county's most-improved defense work more efficiently. l Don't forget unsung special teams heroes. Davis stripped a kick returner for a fumble that was recovered by Jordan during the Colts' 21-0 start, and Ethan Marshall-Wack, Chris Gilliand and Jaden Walker had tackles covering kickoffs. Walsh Jesuit transfer Marshall-Wack's tackle was the first of his Cloverleaf career. The Colts simply hit Bay directly in the chin with a no-thrills game plan. The offense executed a three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-finely-chipped-rubber rushing attack out of the pistol — Nau, Adam Gray, Sprankle, Jacob Atkinson and Kaiden Stone had one of their best collective games up front — and connected on a few pop passes when it needed to. The defense was largely bend but don't break and allowed only 155 yards when a 61-yard TD pass was factored out. With an outstanding plus-10 turnover margin and a strong 203.0 yards per game allowed the exceptions, the Colts are not special from an analytical standpoint. They are neither explosive offensively (24.5 ppg, 260.5 ypg) nor defensively (county-low 49 tackles for loss), have had issues with special teams and had brief execution meltdowns that cost them dearly in losses to Norton, Woodridge and Streetsboro in the second half of the regular season. But my, oh my, they are impossible not to root for, as a member of the Bay chain gang alluded to afterward. The Colts have too strong of a bond, too many mature kids and too many role models on an easygoing coaching staff. Don't forget: This is the same program that had no sense of direction and lost 40-of-41 games from 2013-17. Bringing Vorhies back home has led to the first league championship since 1971 and first playoff victory. The journey hasn't ended yet with a David vs. Goliath game at Galion on Friday, but it's simply a great week to be a Colt. Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.