Byline: BILL ARSENAULT Staff writer
SYRACUSE -- The Cambridge High defense wasn't perfect Friday, but it was pretty close.
Cambridge completely shut down Clymer of Section VI (Buffalo area) 28-0 to win the state Class D state title in the Carrier Dome.
Cambridge limited the Pirates to just 44 yards on 21 plays in the first half and just two first downs. Clymer, noted for its strong inside running game, had just 34 yards on 14 rushes in the first half.
Clymer had better luck in the second half, but a large part of its 212 yards in total offense for the game came on a 62-yard pass play in the third quarter. The Pirates also had a 12-yard run on the drive, and if you take away those 74 yards, Cambridge held Clymer to 138 yards on 51 plays.
``We knew we had to stop their running game,'' Cambridge coach Doug Luke said. ``Once they started passing, I knew we were in pretty good shape.''
Clymer quarterback Jordan Bennink hit just six of 21 passes for 108 yards, and was intercepted twice.
``Their fullback (Jehuu Caulcrick) rushed the ball 300 times this season so we knew he was the guy we had to stop,'' Luke said.
Caulcrick, a 225-pound sophomore, collected 50 yards on 16 carries. His longest run was 9 yards.
``I knew if we held their running game down we'd win the game,'' Cambridge linebacker Ben Watrous, named the game's MVP, said. ``I didn't think we'd shut them out. But our defense has come up big all season long. Why not today?''
Said Cambridge defensive coordinator Al Rapp: ``When I first looked at this group, I couldn't believe how small they were. But I'll tell you something. When I explained what I wanted, they listened. And they started to believe. There are no lone rangers on this team. Just a bunch of hard-working kids who like to make tackles.''
Adam Burr, a sophomore, was named the defensive MVP in the game. He had 10 tackles, including two sacks.
``The whole defense did a great job,'' Burr said. ``I was just happy to be part of it.''
Shawn Morrison (nine tackles), Jeff Tulley (eight tackles) and John Holcomb (seven tackles) also played standout games for the Indians. Mike Crandall and Matt Townsend had interceptions.
Late in the game, with Cambridge up 28-0, Clymer mounted one final drive. The Pirates moved from their own 20 to the Cambridge 37. But on fourth down, with the Cambridge crowd yelling ``de-fense, de-fense'', Kyle Lauver knocked down a pass at the goal line to end the threat.
``Getting a shutout in the Dome in the state championship is pretty satisfying,'' Rapp said. ``You just got to love it.''
