Sellers sensational in Clear Fork’s first playoff football win since 2022

BELLVILLE — Clear Fork’s defense forced a punt on the opening drive.

Then, on its first play on offense, running back Trey Sellers broke out for a huge 55-yard run.

Just a couple plays later, quarterback Marcus Hoeflich connected on a 28-yard strike to Nash Evans with 6:02 left in the first quarter for the first score of the game.

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The Colts never looked back, defeating the visiting Otsego Knights 38-0 in a Division IV Region 14 regional quarterfinal showdown on Friday, Nov. 6.

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“I told the guys that playing composed and being aggressive is a delicate balance, and I thought we did that really well tonight,” said Clear Fork coach Aaron Brokaw.

Both sides of the ball played aggressively, including Sellers. He finished with eight carries for 133 yards and two touchdowns. He added a defensive touchdown when he returned a fumble about 45 yards with 1:07 in the second quarter to make it a four-possession game.

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“Trey has had an amazing season for us, and he’s playing with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder right now. He’s been an explosive playmaker offensively. He’s been a guy that’s performed well defensively, and that scoop-and-score was fun to watch as well,” Brokaw said.

“It was sweet. I saw it was a pitch play, and it went over his head, so I did Coach Brokaw’s drill that we do. I picked it up, scooped, and scored,” said Sellers.

The Clear Fork defense had its hands full facing Otsego, a triple-option offense that scored 63 points last week. The Colts defense has a strong reputation in North Central Ohio, but to hold a team to 0 points after scoring 63 the week before is special, and Sellers knows it.

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“Our defense has a lot of discipline; our coaches have put in a plan to install our defense which has been building up for years and this year it’s showing that we’re one of the best defenses in the area,” Sellers said.

Otsego was 0-for-2 passing and only ran for 169 total yards. Quarterback Grady Frank ran for 75 of his own. Dane Fatzinger added 40 on the ground. Both players are juniors.

Clear Fork leaned on its rush attack but was efficient in a small sample size of a pass game as well. Marcus Hoeflich completed all three of his pass attempts for 99 yards and two touchdowns. He added 56 yards on the ground. Alex Schlosser, Brevyn Bias, and Davis Hoeflich all got some action in the rush game as well to add to Sellers’ big night.

Backup kicker Brady Oswalt nailed a 37-yard field goal with 1:02 left in the game to cap off a complete team effort. But despite firing on all cylinders tonight, Clear Fork wants to show no complacency.

“We’re focused going into next week. We got a week to rest last week. We refocused this week and are headed into next week strong,” Sellers said.

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The No. 4 seeded Colts will travel to undefeated No. 1 seed Ottawa-Glandorf in next week’s regional semifinal showdown. The Titans beat Medina Buckeye 28-14 in the quarterfinals. Otsego’s season ends at 8-4.

It’s Clear Fork’s first postseason win since 2022, and Aaron Brokaw’s first as head coach.

“It’s something that we’ve been building towards the past few seasons. Last year’s home playoff game didn’t turn out the way we wanted to. The challenge tonight was to put it all together, and I thought our young men did a really outstanding job tonight,” Brokaw said.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Sellers sensational in Clear Fork’s first playoff football win since 2022

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