Five touchdowns on nine plays.
Let that sink in.
In its Oct. 28 playoff opener, the Malcolm football team put up mind-boggling numbers in the first half of a 64-17 rout of defending state champions, Archbishop Bergan.
In five first half possessions, the Clippers ran nine plays from scrimmage and averaged nearly 30 yards per play. The Knights tackled Malcolm players just three times in the game’s first 24 minutes.
“We have some special athletes on this team,” Malcolm head coach Scott Amen said. “Things are really clicking right now.”
One of those athletes is Hayden Frank. The senior signal caller continues to one-up his performance from the previous week. In the Clippers’ first possession, Frank kept the ball on a zone-read play, started up the middle, then scooted to the outside and ran 65 yards, untouched to the end zone.
“Hayden will be the first to tell you our line is playing so well,” Amen said. “They are a cohesive group. It’s all so fluid, they move well. The line made that play possible.”
After a three-and-out, the Clippers took over at their own 35. On the first play of the drive, Frank found a wide-open Logan McGreer. The speedy sophomore shook off a Bergan defender at the 10-yard line to finish off the team’s second 65-yard touchdown of the opening frame.
Early in the second quarter, after Frank returned a punt 36 yards to the Knights’ 37-yard line, he finished off a four-play drive with a 23-yard touchdown run.
Lucas Christensen got in on the fun later in the quarter when the senior tailback rumbled 49 yards for a score on the second play of a drive.
“On any other team, Lucas is probably getting 25 carries and 150 yards a game,” Amen said. “With Hayden having the season he is, Lucas doesn’t get as many touches but he doesn’t mind. He just loves playing the game and helping the team.”
Christensen finished the night with 77 yards on four carries and two touchdowns.
The Clippers’ final play of the first half was a 63-yard touchdown run by Frank on the first play of the drive. The Concordia basketball commit had 151 yards on those three carries. He finished the night with five completions for 160 yards and two touchdowns.
“Coach Gore does such a great job of scouting the opponent,” Amen said about his offensive coordinator. “With the kind of weapons we have, he can get creative with the play calling. The guys are doing a great job of executing.”
The Clippers scored four more times in the second half. Amen pulled his starters midway through the third quarter. The final two touchdowns came on runs from the second and third string quarterbacks, Maddox Meyer and Carson Frank.
“It was great to get our younger players so much time,” Amen said. “They come to practice every day and work hard. This was a nice reward for them. Not to mention, being able to rest our starters only helps us down the line.”
No. 4 Malcolm (10-0) goes on the road this week to face No. 12 Hartington Cedar Catholic in a quarterfinal matchup. The Trojans upended No. 5 Mitchell 44-14 in the opening round.
“We’re going to see some big, strong kids this week,” Amen said. “They don’t do anything fancy, but they’re very physical up front.”
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday night in Hartington.
