Whether it was in the air, on the ground, in the defensive backfield, or on fake punts, Salem quarterback/defensive back/punter Cletis Monroy was making plays for the Quakers. Monroy and Salem may have been the 10 seed visiting 7 seed Northwest, but they did not play like an underdog. The hard-fought battle was never an easy one for either team, but Salem was able to take advantage of mistakes and hold off a late rally from Northwest to upset the Indians in the first round of the OHSAA D IV playoffs.
1st Quarter
The Quakers started off the game perfectly. A long return on the opening kickoff by Blake Bezon got things started and set Salem up in great field position. Quarterback Cletis Monroy used his legs to pick up a 1st down on a draw– a play that the Quakers tortured the Indians with all night. It was Monroy again several plays later who (this time in the air) made another big play. He rolled to the left and found Owen Davidson, who fleeced the coverage and cruised to the end zone for a 43-yard touchdown. Placekicker Gerson Samayoa nailed the extra point to put the Quakers up 7-0. Northwest had an answer on their drive. A run by Joey Medure moved the sticks, but a long pass fell just out of reach and a QB run by Brayden Venables put the Indians in a difficult situation on a 4th-and-short. Luckily for Northwest, Venables connected with Logan Allman, who made a great diving effort to keep the ball off the ground and pick up a 1st down. A personal foul and an incomplete pass set up another sticky situation for the Indians, but Venables once again bailed them out. He found Kellan Reinford over the middle– Reinford cut around a defender and raced in for a 36-yard touchdown. The extra point was botched but Venables kept it alive, scrambling out to the right and finding Conner Stephenson cutting across the end zone to turn a potential disaster into 2 points. With an 8-7 lead, the Indians’ defense got to work. Monroy ran over a few defenders for a Quakers’ 1st down, but the ball was jarred loose and recovered by Northwest’s Abram Lazarus. Venables picked his way through the Salem defense to convert on 3rd down, and Medure followed with a 1st down run of his own. At the end of the 1st quarter, the Indians had the lead and the ball.
2nd Quarter
The Quakers needed a stop to start the 2nd quarter, and they got one. A run that went up the middle was stifled and the ball was punched loose– Salem’s Will Harmon recovered. Just as it seemed that the Indians had gotten a stop of their own on the ensuing drive, quarterback/punter/defensive back Cletis Monroy faked a punt and picked up a 1st down for Salem. Conner Stephenson and Jakob Garber combined on a 3rd-down tackle to force another punt, but once again Monroy found a lane on a fake punt and scooted down the sideline to pick up a conversion. A reverse flea-flicker that went all the way was called back on a hold, but Salem soon had the ball at the goal line anyway. It may have taken 4 downs, but Monroy used that 4th down to punch the ball in and give Salem a 14-8 lead. The Quakers quickly got the ball back following a Braydon Van Dyne tackle-for-loss and the ensuing punt. Will Harmon put Salem in prime position with a great punt return, but they were unable to put more points on the board as Northwest’s Jon Campbell picked up a sack and the Indians forced a turnover on downs. At the half the score remained 14-8.
3rd Quarter
Northwest moved the ball to start the second half. Brayden Venables found Joey Medure over the middle for a big pickup and Medure ran twice for 1st downs. A pass moved the ball closer to the Salem goal line and seemed to set the Indians up for another score, but at the last second, the ball was knocked loose and was recovered by the Quakers. Cletis Monroy took a draw to the house, but it was called back on a hold. On 3rd-and-long, Northwest’s Colin Smith smashed a run to force a punt. Northwest had a chance to take the lead once again, but mistakes killed their drive. An 11-yard loss on a screen pass put the Indians way back at their own 3-yard line. An incomplete pass and a breakup by Monroy on 3rd down forced a punt. Once again Will Harmon raced down the sideline on a long punt return, this time setting Salem up at the Indians’ 14-yard line, where he was finally stopped by Kellan Reinford. It seemed that the Indians may get a stop as Ty Lipkins picked up a tackle-for-loss and a stop on a screen forced a 4th down play. Monroy once again played spoiler and ran the ball in on 4th down to put Salem up 21-8.
4th Quarter
Northwest was not done yet. Conner Stephenson took a handoff up the middle on 4th-and-short, broke one tackle, and raced 48 yards for a touchdown to cut the Salem lead to 21-15 following a Ben Schanz extra point. The Quakers attempted to put together a long drive and run the clock down; they picked up three 1st downs (including a strange 4th-down play where the ball was fumbled forward for a 1st) to slowly move the ball downfield. The Indians, however, made a stand after a Logan Allman sack and pressure on Cletis Monroy forced a punt on 4th down. The Indians had just over 5 minutes and 87 yards to go to take the lead. Joey Medure twice ran for 1st downs, but the Indians faced a 4th-down play with under 3 minutes remaining. Brayden Venables scrambled and a made a desperation heave towards the middle of the field– he found Ty Lipkins, who made an amazing catch to pick up the 1st down and keep the Indians’ season alive. Jakob Garber picked up another 1st down and it seemed as if Northwest could not be stopped from taking the lead. The Quakers’ defense made a stand against the Indians and stopped them short of the 1st down 3 times to force a 4th-down try. A desperation heave towards the middle did not go in favor of the Indians this time– the ball was intercepted by (who else?) Cletis Monroy, who slid down to set up victory formation and a win. Salem took those knees and took home a win to advance in the D IV, Region 13 bracket.
Highlights
