Clinton-Massie football: Welcoming the pressure of being a state champion
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The 2013 football season for the Clinton-Massie Falcons was one of validation for the football program, and one that saw 14 wins and a second consecutive Division IV State Championship.
For the '13 season, the Falcons scored 590 points, went undefeated in the South Central Ohio League, allowed just 158 points and their lone regular-season loss not only changed the tone of their entire season, but was by a total of just five points.
The Falcons, who also won their eighth South Central Ohio League championship, are not only two-time defending state champions, but they have been to at least the State Final Four the past three seasons.
In '13, they finished with an overall record of 14-1, and in '12, the Falcons went 15-0, scoring 822 points. In the season where they reached the Final Four (2011), the Falcons finished 12-3.
Add all three of those seasons up, and CM has an overall record of 41-4 in three years.
CM head coach Dan McSurley, who is entering his 19th season at Clinton-Massie, spoke about how the '13 state title was “more gratifying than the first one.”
"I'll be honest with you … it was more gratifying (the ’13 state title), a little more rewarding, just for the simple fact we had to replace so many players from the 2012 season," he said. "That 2012 season was just unreal. We broke the school scoring record, our defense was just lights-out, and having to replace eight guys on defense, having to replace seven guys on offense – that was a challenge."
As for the '13 season, after a 9-1 regular season, the Falcons won in the postseason by the following scores: vs. Miami Trace (35-21), vs. Archbishop McNicholas (52-14), at Archbishop Alter (21-14), vs. Kenton (21-20) and in the state championship game vs. Cardinal Mooney (27-21).
Also for '13, CM totaled 80 touchdowns in 15 games, with 322.6 yards per game rushing as a team, along with 46.3 tackles per game. They finished the season with 37 sacks and 14 interceptions.
McSurley continued to talk about the challenges the team faced in '13.
"I think everybody's expectations are always high, but it was so rewarding (in 2013), just having been able to do that and overcome those obstacles of having to play a lot of young guys who didn't have any big-time experience," he said. "Now, a lot of those guys return this year, so expectations are pretty high, but you're only a couple injuries away from having to fight your butt off."
Even with all of that success, the Falcons are still motivated to achieve the ultimate goal yet again, and three seniors in Isaiah Stiverson, Chayse Wolf and Jared Halley want to be the ones who help lead the Falcons back to being the best team in Division IV football.
It is easy to stay motivated for the ultimate goal once again.
"There is a lot of pressure, because you want to be better than last year," Stiverson said. "Being better than last year motivates you to be at the top again, especially since we've done it the past two years.
"It would be even better to have a three-peat, and we have the community behind us. We have a lot of support."
Wolf also said "it's definitely a lot of pressure," when talking about going for a third straight state championship.
[[In-content Ad]]"You don't want to be that senior class that falls off," Wolf said. "We’ve been to the playoffs (13 years) straight, and we want to keep the team on the top. We have a bigger target on us now being we've won state two years in a row.
"It will be a lot harder this year, but we are motivated, working harder than we did last year, and we are ready to go."
The senior fullback, Halley (who rushed for 210 yards last season and had 80 yards receiving), also spoke of the pressure and the target on them when they take the field.
"Having that pressure and the target on your back is hard enough as it is, but the whole community is behind us, and having all of our teammates working hard together … it makes it easier to deal with the pressure," Halley said. "We use it as motivation and just keep going."
To gain that pressure, the Falcons had to win games, and to win games like they did, they put up some very good numbers. Quarterback Hunter Fentress as a sophomore last year was 63-of-114 for 1,214 yards passing. He also rushed for 149 yards.
Graduated senior Bayle Wolf led the Falcons in rushing with 1,958 yards on 285 carries (31 touchdowns). Last season, as a junior, Chayse Wolf was second on the team in rushing with 1,444 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Chayse Wolf finished with 1,812 all-purpose yards.
For the Falcons, it is not just about having the pressure of being the state champions, but wanting to use that pressure to make themselves an even better football team.
"It's amazing because of all the years we've been a good team, making it to the playoffs, and then my freshman year we made it to the final four, which was a big step," Stiverson said. "My sophomore year we made a bigger step and won state, and my junior year we wanted to stay there, so it is just trying to work harder and harder to be at the top once again."
Preparing to defend not one, but two state championships doesn't happen overnight, so many of the Falcons' football players work out early in the morning during all seasons of the calendar.
"We get up and go to The Strength Lab at eight in the morning, all summer," Stiverson said. "Actually, some of us took a week off after state last year and got back to work.
"I go there through all my other sports and work out, to prepare for this senior season.”
Stiverson finished '13 with 76 total tackles (43 solo) and one interception.
Wolf's summer mirrored Stiverson's.
"The same as Isaiah," Wolf said. "I've been hitting The Strength Lab pretty hard, hitting the weights and just trying to get better and bigger for this season. We have some big competition, so we have to push ourselves harder than we did last year."
Halley, who had 50 total tackles (28 solo), one sack and one interception at linebacker, also had extra work since last season, as he also is involved in other sports while preparing for the football season.
"I've been going to the Renegade Warehouse ever since state ended on that Monday," Halley said. "We've all been working hard and getting stronger, and it has helped a lot, and we are ready to go."
Even with all the success and the two state championship rings in their possession, these three seniors know there is still room for improvement.
"I want to be a better leader," Wolf said. "I want to push my teammates to the highest potential and get them on the same level they were at. We have to refuse to lose. We have to take it one step further than we did last year, because of the bigger target on our back of going for three championships in a row.”
Halley agreed.
"We are only as strong as our weakest link, and we're not going to have a weak link this year," he said. "We are going to get going, and we will be at the same level as we were. We have to work harder. Last year was hard, but we have to work even harder now with the bigger target, and we don't want to be the class that falls off.”
Stiverson said it is about being a role model.
"We want to be good role models for our team and community, and we want them to follow and work hard in the offseason, and work even harder during the season," Stiverson said.
For the '13 season, the Falcons scored 590 points, went undefeated in the South Central Ohio League, allowed just 158 points and their lone regular-season loss not only changed the tone of their entire season, but was by a total of just five points.
The Falcons, who also won their eighth South Central Ohio League championship, are not only two-time defending state champions, but they have been to at least the State Final Four the past three seasons.
In '13, they finished with an overall record of 14-1, and in '12, the Falcons went 15-0, scoring 822 points. In the season where they reached the Final Four (2011), the Falcons finished 12-3.
Add all three of those seasons up, and CM has an overall record of 41-4 in three years.
CM head coach Dan McSurley, who is entering his 19th season at Clinton-Massie, spoke about how the '13 state title was “more gratifying than the first one.”
"I'll be honest with you … it was more gratifying (the ’13 state title), a little more rewarding, just for the simple fact we had to replace so many players from the 2012 season," he said. "That 2012 season was just unreal. We broke the school scoring record, our defense was just lights-out, and having to replace eight guys on defense, having to replace seven guys on offense – that was a challenge."
As for the '13 season, after a 9-1 regular season, the Falcons won in the postseason by the following scores: vs. Miami Trace (35-21), vs. Archbishop McNicholas (52-14), at Archbishop Alter (21-14), vs. Kenton (21-20) and in the state championship game vs. Cardinal Mooney (27-21).
Also for '13, CM totaled 80 touchdowns in 15 games, with 322.6 yards per game rushing as a team, along with 46.3 tackles per game. They finished the season with 37 sacks and 14 interceptions.
McSurley continued to talk about the challenges the team faced in '13.
"I think everybody's expectations are always high, but it was so rewarding (in 2013), just having been able to do that and overcome those obstacles of having to play a lot of young guys who didn't have any big-time experience," he said. "Now, a lot of those guys return this year, so expectations are pretty high, but you're only a couple injuries away from having to fight your butt off."
Even with all of that success, the Falcons are still motivated to achieve the ultimate goal yet again, and three seniors in Isaiah Stiverson, Chayse Wolf and Jared Halley want to be the ones who help lead the Falcons back to being the best team in Division IV football.
It is easy to stay motivated for the ultimate goal once again.
"There is a lot of pressure, because you want to be better than last year," Stiverson said. "Being better than last year motivates you to be at the top again, especially since we've done it the past two years.
"It would be even better to have a three-peat, and we have the community behind us. We have a lot of support."
Wolf also said "it's definitely a lot of pressure," when talking about going for a third straight state championship.
[[In-content Ad]]"You don't want to be that senior class that falls off," Wolf said. "We’ve been to the playoffs (13 years) straight, and we want to keep the team on the top. We have a bigger target on us now being we've won state two years in a row.
"It will be a lot harder this year, but we are motivated, working harder than we did last year, and we are ready to go."
The senior fullback, Halley (who rushed for 210 yards last season and had 80 yards receiving), also spoke of the pressure and the target on them when they take the field.
"Having that pressure and the target on your back is hard enough as it is, but the whole community is behind us, and having all of our teammates working hard together … it makes it easier to deal with the pressure," Halley said. "We use it as motivation and just keep going."
To gain that pressure, the Falcons had to win games, and to win games like they did, they put up some very good numbers. Quarterback Hunter Fentress as a sophomore last year was 63-of-114 for 1,214 yards passing. He also rushed for 149 yards.
Graduated senior Bayle Wolf led the Falcons in rushing with 1,958 yards on 285 carries (31 touchdowns). Last season, as a junior, Chayse Wolf was second on the team in rushing with 1,444 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Chayse Wolf finished with 1,812 all-purpose yards.
For the Falcons, it is not just about having the pressure of being the state champions, but wanting to use that pressure to make themselves an even better football team.
"It's amazing because of all the years we've been a good team, making it to the playoffs, and then my freshman year we made it to the final four, which was a big step," Stiverson said. "My sophomore year we made a bigger step and won state, and my junior year we wanted to stay there, so it is just trying to work harder and harder to be at the top once again."
Preparing to defend not one, but two state championships doesn't happen overnight, so many of the Falcons' football players work out early in the morning during all seasons of the calendar.
"We get up and go to The Strength Lab at eight in the morning, all summer," Stiverson said. "Actually, some of us took a week off after state last year and got back to work.
"I go there through all my other sports and work out, to prepare for this senior season.”
Stiverson finished '13 with 76 total tackles (43 solo) and one interception.
Wolf's summer mirrored Stiverson's.
"The same as Isaiah," Wolf said. "I've been hitting The Strength Lab pretty hard, hitting the weights and just trying to get better and bigger for this season. We have some big competition, so we have to push ourselves harder than we did last year."
Halley, who had 50 total tackles (28 solo), one sack and one interception at linebacker, also had extra work since last season, as he also is involved in other sports while preparing for the football season.
"I've been going to the Renegade Warehouse ever since state ended on that Monday," Halley said. "We've all been working hard and getting stronger, and it has helped a lot, and we are ready to go."
Even with all the success and the two state championship rings in their possession, these three seniors know there is still room for improvement.
"I want to be a better leader," Wolf said. "I want to push my teammates to the highest potential and get them on the same level they were at. We have to refuse to lose. We have to take it one step further than we did last year, because of the bigger target on our back of going for three championships in a row.”
Halley agreed.
"We are only as strong as our weakest link, and we're not going to have a weak link this year," he said. "We are going to get going, and we will be at the same level as we were. We have to work harder. Last year was hard, but we have to work even harder now with the bigger target, and we don't want to be the class that falls off.”
Stiverson said it is about being a role model.
"We want to be good role models for our team and community, and we want them to follow and work hard in the offseason, and work even harder during the season," Stiverson said.