On Thursday night, Sparta made the trip north to take on the Clare Pioneers in what could’ve been an interesting non-conference battle. Unfortunately, Clare was already dealing with injuries, including a hurt starting QB, and it showed in Sparta’s blowout win.
Sparta took advantage of an absolutely stifling second quarter and didn’t look back. After falling behind 7-0 by the end of the first quarter, Sparta scored 31 straight points in the second quarter to lead 31-7 at the half. From there, they basically coasted.
It really came down to athleticism and size. Sparta clearly had the advantage at the offensive lineman spot. I’m not sure if Sparta left their base run package on the evening, and they realized it by the second quarter.
Sparta rushed for over 220 yards on the night and scored five touchdowns. Their quarterback, Braylen Larsen, was efficient as well, going 10-for-13 for 114 yards and a touchdown.
Clare really struggled without Dane Alexander at QB. Alexander had scored five total touchdowns in the season opener against Whitehall, but he was injured. So, backup QB Dalton Krukamp got the start. For the first drive, he did his job well enough, keeping the Pioneers in rhythm while Jayden Nemetz had a few explosive plays before taking in a reverse for a score.
After that, though, Sparta’s defense overwhelmed Clare. The running game was unable to get going, and eventually Sparta was able to consistently get into the backfield, or a fumbled snap would occur. Multiple turnovers and 3-and-outs put a tired Pioneer defense in a tough spot.
