Cloverdale aims to finish regular season on a high note

At 5-2, Cloverdale head football Tyler Lotz knows his team has achieved some great things this season and the program is continuing to head in the right direction.

However, the fifth year coach also knows there is still plenty of room for improvement, especially during the final two weeks of the regular season and before Class A Sectional 47 play begins. 

While Cloverdale has had success in recent years, Lotz said with the success comes the challenge of making sure his players stay hungry. 

"The biggest challenge I have is reminding the guys what got us here. The last two or three years have been fun. Having more wins is fun, but it is not always easy. We have to continue to work. We have a big senior class, and we have a lot of kids who are going to have to step up. We can't sit back and think what we have done. We have to keep the chip on the shoulder. We will always be, "Oh, it's just Cloverdale." We try to remind our kids of that all the time. It's been awesome," Lotz told The Putnam County Post. 

Last Friday, the Clovers upended North Knox, 41-23 after racing out to a quick 28-7 at the half. 

The win was the 20th overall for Lotz; his team rolled up 467 yards of total offense and Trey Schabel scored four touchdowns. 

In addition, Cloverdale is assured second place in the conference in its first season in the Southwest Conference. 

"I wish we would have won the conference. It has been good. Wins and losses will come, but it is enjoying every moment, and I struggle with that sometimes. I tell our players all the time, I am not an easy coach to play for because I expect a lot and sometimes they do not understand that. I do need to step back and enjoy the moments and appreciate what we have been able to do, what our school has been able to do and the support we've gotten. It is a true blessing to be able to come home and do what we have done," Lotz said. 

For weeks, Lotz has implored his team to get off to a fast start, and they responded Friday. 

"We changed how we handled the coin toss in hopes of changing how we play, and the last two weeks it's worked. Hopefully, we can continue that trend of starting fast. I really would have liked to have seen our last two drives before halftime be better and our last possession on defense be better. We put our JV in the second half, and they scored. I thought we did a good job," Lotz said. 

Lotz noted his offensive line gained an advantage against North Knox, who used a 3-3 stack defense. 

"We kept the gameplan very simple. I think our kids did a great job of executing the game plan, and when you have kids like Trey Schabel and Ashton Evans, kids who can make plays, it makes it easy as a play caller sometimes. We have to find ways to continue to get our playmakers the ball," Lotz said. 

This week, Cloverdale travels to West Vigo, who enters 0-7 following a 19-14 setback against Owen Valley. While the Vikings have struggled, Lotz said he sees a lot that can give his team fits. 

"This is the best 0-7 team I have seen on film. In all honesty, we are going to show up on Friday night, and if you just do the eye test, they are going to look better than us. We are not a very big football team. They are bigger than us and they have some big skill guys, too. Our kids have got to be ready to play. I am definitely not overlooking them, and I know our staff is not overlooking them. I just hope our kids aren't, but we will continue to pound it in their heads and have a good week of practice," he said. 

And, it pits Lotz against a familiar face in West Vigo head coach Brian Crabtree. 

"The first thing that stands out is Brian Crabtree was my elementary PE teacher and coached me in the Wabash Valley All-Star Game. I assume he remembers who I am. I remember who he is. It will be exciting to see him Friday. It is a very different offense that he brought in compared to past years. They run the spread now instead of Wing-T variations. Defensively, they are a 4-2 box and if I had to guess they will look to limit Trey Schabel. We have to get off the bus and be ready to play," Lotz said.