CLYDE — Nolan Hartman made two stops on fourth down Friday and Bellevue won coach Alex Shepherd’s first game at the helm 33-23 at rival Clyde.
Hartman knocked down a pass on fourth-and-1 near midfield in the fourth quarter and added a stop in the run game on fourth-and-1 with a 26-23 advantage and about six minutes left.
“It was a great call on the run stop,” Hartman said. “The pass, I saw it in time. It was the whole defense, a great team win.”
A coach’s first win is one thing. A win for Bellevue at Clyde to start things off is another.
“We wanted to win against Clyde,” Bellevue quarterback Ike Brown said. “With a new coach comes change — that was the first time they saw his playbook.”
The Fliers cut a deficit to 26-23 after a safety late in the third quarter.
“We made a multitude of mistakes you can’t make,” Clyde coach Ryan Carter said. “We have to bounce back. The whole thing is how we’re going to respond to this. It’s tough to lose to your rival in Week 1, but there are nine more (games).”
Bellevue capped the scoring as Brown tossed a touchdown to Billy Sberna on fourth-and-goal from the 7.
“We got down there running up the middle,” Brown said. “It was a little play-action. The ball could have been better but it got it done.”
The kids wanted to go for it,” Shepherd said. “Ike’s a guy we have to lean on. He excels at everything he does and he’s a leader. There are times we’ll put the ball in his hands.”
Konner Dauch ran in with the first touchdown and Zander Shober added a pick-6 as Bellevue led 13-0. Clyde’s Dekin Crockett returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a score, but Bellevue responded with a touchdown pass from Brown to Caden Cramer for a 20-7 margin.
“It’s a rivalry game, a game we haven’t won in a number of years,” Shepherd said. “There were some nerves. First game, Cyde, on the road. It was a lot. I knew we have the guys in the room to do what we knew we could get done.
“I trusted the kids and the staff.”
Clyde’s Adam Young ran in from one yard out for a 20-14 margin late in the first half. Brown scored from 10 yards out early in the third quarter before Clyde’s Linkin Mullins ran in for a 26-21 deficit.
Bellevue notched two victories last season.
“Since I’ve been here, this is my favorite win,” Cramer said. “It’s my first time beating Clyde since eighth grade. It’s a quality win. We’re looking forward to the rest of the season.”
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This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: High school football: Bellevue head coach Alex Shepherd begins tenure with win over Clyde
Reporting by Matthew Horn, Fremont News-Messenger / Fremont News-Messenger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
