After receiving the opening kickoff, the Clemens Buffaloes were charged with a delay of game penalty that would serve more as a microcosm of a larger issue than as an actual deterrent to the offense scoring.

The referees let their flags fly furiously, from the first snap to the final drive, much to the chagrin of the players who had to slog through a grueling, three-hour game.

“Multiple costly penalties,” tight end Chandler Cole said about the Rangers’ lackluster offensive performance. “[That’s what] kept us from performing to our full potential.”

The Rangers had eight penalties for 97 yards, and Clemens had 13 for 125 yards. The refs also threw three flags that were eventually picked up and made numerous other mistakes, such as nearly giving penalty yardage to the wrong team, or giving Clemens three yards for no reason following the missed field goal.

“It was just frustrating,” Cole said. “As a team, we let Clemens get under our skin, which resulted in retaliation on our part.”

The 15-7 game wasn’t the only thing the Rangers lost, however. Uber-athletic middle linebacker Darlington Frasch went down with a gruesome right leg injury in the first quarter. Both teams were immediately ushered off the field, and Frasch, who was carted off the field and taken the EMS to the hospital, quickly received an air cast. The Clemens offense dapped up the junior as the cart drove him off the field, a classy move from the eventual victors.

Frasch also broke a bone in his right leg two seasons ago, while playing as a freshman on varsity. Now, the junior will be forced to confront another leg injury.

Joaquin Rodriguez, as well, lost something tonight: his perfect kicking record. After drilling every kick he attempted thus far this season, Rodriguez missed a 37-yarder into heavy wind. It was unfortunate timing: heading into the final minute up by a field goal would’ve been a boon to the Rangers’ chances of success. Instead, the kick fell short and left – it may have been blocked – and the Rangers couldn’t generate enough offense to overcome the miss. (Rodriguez is perfect on extra points.)

Overall, the offense wasn’t awful. But when a dearth of explosive plays meets a propensity for penalty, the results shouldn’t be shocking.

““We had a good game plan, and we went out and executed it well,” Cole said. “We just had multiple costly penalties as a team that kept us from performing to our full potential.”

One of Clemens’ scores came in overtime. Neither team scored in the first three quarters. In fact, the only two red zone trips prior to the final frame resulted in Rodriguez’s missed field goal and a Clemens fumble. 

It wasn’t all gloom and doom, however. Despite his relatively-measly 14 carries, Jacob Forton still managed to pick up 82 yards. Greg Eggleston racked up 72 yards and the team’s lone touchdown, and other targets – Cole, Austin Howell, Mason Freeland, Eric Titzman, and others – received attention from quarterback Luke Gombert, who threw 26 passes for 115 yards and a garbage-time pick. Cole was an especially favored target, catching two passes in six attempts for 25 yards. But he says even that doesn’t reach his ultimate standard: winning.

“If we lose, [even if] I have two touchdowns, I’m never happy,” Cole said.  “I believe I contributed more in the run game, but I could’ve done a lot more things correctly to help the team win.”

The quickest way to sum up the game for each team is to use a drive apiece as a way to represent their performances overall.

Schertz Clemens: Buffalo drive #7

It only took 11 trips to the line of scrimmage to gain … 13 yards? Between three penalties (20 yards), a sack and some short runs, the Buffaloes had one of the oddest drive summaries you’ll ever see.

Smithson Valley: Ranger drive #9

A 12-yard completion to Cole set up a 15-yard play to fullback Austin Howell… except it didn’t. Between plays, a referee tossed a meaningless flag, and in the hubbub, the Buffaloes’ coach called a timeout. The Rangers’ drive fizzled after four straight incompletions, and the game was essentially over.

Luckily for Rangers fans, they appear to already know where they went wrong.

“All respect to Clemens, they’re a good team, but they didn’t do anything out of the ordinary,” Cole said. “We just killed ourselves with penalties.… We know what we did wrong. We are going to get back to work this week and fix all the errors

Despite it all, Clemens did display its dominance. Quarterback Max Didomenico dragged his team to a win despite scoring the fewest points of any contest this season.

Perhaps it’s time for Smithson Valley to officially recognize Samuel Clemens High School as a rival. The Buffs have won three straight contests and don’t show any signs of slowing down. Both teams will change a lot by next year, but regardless, this should be an exhilarating matchup for years to come. Exhilarating, that is, if you like low-scoring trench warfare, which this matchup provides every season.