SHEFFIELD TWP. — Kicking off thrice from Clearview’s 45-yard line — after identical roughing-the-kicker penalties on extra points — Ottawa-Glandorf kicker Nolan Croy each time failed to split the uprights.
That, however, was about the only thing the Titans’ special teams units did wrong Friday night in their 56-12 runaway victory over the Clippers.
Ottawa-Glandorf, which nearly missed the playoffs after a Week 10 loss to Lima Shawnee, will next play Marion Pleasant, a 20-7 winner over Pemberville Eastwood and the team that knocked out the Titans in last year’s second round.
Against Clearview, the Titans were nearly flawless in kick coverage, repeatedly pinning the Clippers deep in their own end. That 54-yard, back-breaking punt return for a touchdown didn’t hurt, either.
“That’s what we’ve done all year; special teams are key,” said Titans coach Ken Schriner, whose team is making its fourth straight playoff appearance. “It’s a third of the game, and our kids have worked hard at it. We got some big plays out of it tonight.”
The Titans held a drastic field-position advantage: The Clippers on average started at their own 26-yard line, while Ottawa-Glandorf’s average starting point was the Clearview 49.
“When you give up a touchdown, you can’t rough the kicker and do stuff like that,” Clearview coach Mike Collier said. “If you’re starting at the 20 every time, and they’re getting the ball at the 40, you’re definitely at a disadvantage.”
The Titans’ defense capitalized off that disparity, holding the Clippers’ offense to 184 total yards. Ottawa-Glandorf’s offense also took advantage, using the good field position to strike quickly: Three of Ottawa-Glandorf’s first five touchdowns came on drives of 1:05 or less, and another in that group was Zach Buckland’s punt return that demoralized the Clippers.
Buckland, a defensive back that helped hold Clearview’s Anthony Hitchens to 86 yards rushing — about 70 below his per-game average — may have set up his score by fooling the officials. On the Titans’ prior possession, Buckland called for a fair catch on a bouncing punt; the next time he fielded the ball, Clipper defenders seemed surprised when he took off, weaving from the left sideline to the right for the dynamic touchdown.
“The blocking was great, I had the holes and I took it to the house,” Buckland said. “(The coaches) were telling me to fair catch it, but I picked it up. We really emphasize special teams; that’s a major factor that we take into consideration. We focus on it.”
Collier said the newness of not only the playoffs, but also of adversity, for the previously unbeaten Clippers likely played a role in Ottawa-Glandorf’s momentum snowballing.
“I’m sure (being backed up) weighs on their minds a little bit,” Collier said. “We’ve had success all year long, and haven’t played from behind. When you start back at the 20, and they’re stuffing you on first down maybe, then you try to do a little more than what you’re supposed to or what you’re capable of. And it went downhill from there.”
Contact Joel Hammond at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. 

Scoring summary

First quarterOTTAWA-GLANDORF 7, CLEARVIEW 0. Taylor Kuhlman, 3 run (Nolan Croy kick), 6:34. DRIVE: Eight plays, 66 yards. TIME OF POSSESSION: 3:21. KEY PLAY: Kuhlman runs 52 yards on third-and-10 to the Clearview 14-yard line.
OTTAWA-GLANDORF 14, CLEARVIEW 0. Kuhlman, 48 run (Croy kick), :58. DRIVE: Two plays, 48 yards. TIME OF POSSESSION: 0:13.
Second quarter
OTTAWA-GLANDORF 21, CLEARVIEW 0. Zach Buckland, 54 punt return (Croy kick), 10:55.
OTTAWA-GLANDORF 28, CLEARVIEW 0. Ryan Kuhlman, 35 pass from Taylor Kuhlman (Croy kick), 8:18. DRIVE: Three plays, 57 yards. TIME OF POSSESSION: 1:05. KEY PLAYS: Jacob Lugo runs for eight yards and Cory Greve runs for nine, setting up the play-action touchdown pass.
OTTAWA-GLANDORF 35, CLEARVIEW 0. Greve, 1 run (Croy kick), 7:58. DRIVE: Two plays, 15 yards. TIME OF POSSESSION: 0:12. KEY PLAY: Clearview fumbles kickoff, and Buckland recovers at the Clippers’ 15.
OTTAWA-GLANDORF 42, CLEARVIEW 0. Greve, 1 run (Croy kick), 0:21. DRIVE: 11 plays, 39 yards. TIME OF POSSESSION: 3:51. KEY PLAYS: Three third-down conversions — one run by Greve and two by Taylor Kuhlman.
Third quarter
OTTAWA-GLANDFORF 48, CLEARVIEW 0. Jacob Lugo, 15 run (kick failed), 7:53. DRIVE: Nine plays, 75 yards. TIME OF POSSESSION: 4:03. KEY PLAY: Greve’s
2-yard run on fourth-and-1.
OTTAWA-GLANDORF 54, CLEARVIEW 0. Draven Delgado 1 run (kick failed), 2:10. DRIVE: Seven plays, 37 yards. TIME OF POSSESSION: 4:14. KEY PLAYS: Delgado gains 32 yards on five carries.
OTTAWA-GLANDORF 56, CLEARVIEW 0. SAFETY, ball fumbled out of Clearview’s end zone, 0:46.
Fourth quarter
OTTAWA-GLANDORF 56, CLEARVIEW 6. Tony Williams, 35 pass from Zach Anderson (kick failed), 5:14. DRIVE: Seven plays, 88 yards. TIME OF POSSESSION: 3:42. KEY PLAYS: Anthony Hitchens gets untracked for 36 yards on five carries.
OTTAWA-GLANDORF 56, CLEARVIEW 12. Hitchens 23 run (pass failed), 2:13. DRIVE: Three plays, 55 yards. TIME OF POSSESSION: 1:03. KEY PLAYS: Backup quarterback Davon Daniels runs for 16 yards and completes a 16-yard pass to James Washington to set up Hitchens’ score.

Ottawa-Glandorf 56, Clearview 12

Ottawa-Glandorf    14    28    14    0    —    56
Clearview    0    0    0    12    —    12
Scoring
OG — Taylor Kuhlman, 3 run (Nolan Croy kick)
OG — Kuhlman, 48 run (Croy kick)
OG — Zach Buckland, 54 punt return (Croy kick)
OG — Ryan Kuhlman, 35 pass from T. Kuhlman (Croy kick)
OG — Cory Greve, 1 run (Croy kick)
OG — Greve, 1 run (Croy kick)
OG — Jacob Lugo, 15 run (kick failed)
OG — Draven Delgado, 1 run (kick failed)
OG — SAFETY, Clearview fumbles ball out back of end zone
C — Tony Williams, 35 pass from Zach Anderson (kick failed)
C — Anthony Hitchens, 23 run (pass failed)
Team statistics
        OG        C
First downs        17        10
— by rushing        13        5
— by passing        3        5
— by penalty        1        0
Yards rushing        305        75
Yards passing        79        109
Total offense        384        184
Passes att./comp.        8/4        18/8
Intercepted by        3        0
Fumbles/lost        1/0        4/2
Penalties/yards        4/30        5/55
Individual statistics
RUSHING — (OG) Taylor Kuhlman 11-126, Jacob Lugo 10-58, Draven Delgado 11-56, Cory Greve 11-40, Craig Rieman 7-25. (C) Anthony Hitchens 18-86, Davon Daniels 1-16, Curtis Alston 2-2, Tony Williams 2-(-4), Zach Anderson 4-(-25).
PASSING — (OG) T. Kuhlman 4-8-79-1-0. (C) Anderson 7-13-93-1-2, Daniels 1-1-16-0-0, Mike Pearson 0-4-0-0-1.
RECEIVING — (OG) Ryan Kuhlman 2-37, Jacob Moening 1-28, Greve 1-14. (C) James Washington 3-32, Williams 2-66, Lucas Wright 2-9, Hitchens 1-2.
 

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