Cloverdale Football wraps up a tough season

Cloverdale’s football program finished up its season last Friday night without a win, but the future actually looks very bright.

Fielding a team with very low numbers, and with Covid continuing to wreak havoc on rosters, meant a lot of younger players this season got invaluable experience that will pay off down the road.

It also says a lot about Senior players like Xavier Evans, Zane Harris, and Ethan Mosier that they stuck with it and showed leadership and fortitude that only comes with a pure love of the game – their example will inspire the next generation of Clover Football teams.

Even with two winless seasons under his belt, Coach Tom Winders still has more wins at Cloverdale than the last four varsity football head coaches combined.

His passion for the game and for the kids who play it is unmatched, and our town has been lucky to have him shepherd the program through the last two incredibly challenging seasons of “Covid Cup” football.

Any coach will tell you its tough to game plan against a strong opponent, but game planning for playing football during a pandemic is impossible.

In a school our size, with a pandemic of this scope, even fielding a team at all, and being able to give kids the opportunity to play the sport should be considered a win.

Click photos above for more info

Along with Coach Winders, Billy Boyette, Charlie Lee, and Michael Nees’ impact on the program has been huge. You may have noticed the brand new scoreboard in the North end zone, the awesome new gear trailer the team takes to away games, or enjoyed the chest-thumping crystal clear sound of the new stadium speakers at Clover Field.

You probably did not see the newly refurbished locker room, or the myriad of other upgrades this coaching staff made over this season and last season.

100% of the funds for all of these upgrades came from donations that the coaching staff went out and secured from businesses and organization in the community – no taxpayer money was used, and no school money was used for these much-needed upgrades. We should all thank this coaching staff for making positive change in the program that will last for generations.

Click play below for a tour of the renovated locker room

Athletic Director James Wade scored another big upgrade for the program with recent strength and conditioning hire Tyler Lotz.

A product of Cloverdale Football from youth league through high school, Tyler went on to play for the NAIA national championship football program at Marian University.

He was an assistant football coach this season, and will be helping with strength and conditioning for the entire athletics program.

 Congrats to the coaching staff, all the players, the managers and the fans for making it through a very tough year together.

 We are already looking forward to seeing what this young group of athletes can become in the 22-23 season. Stay Country Strong, and Go Clovers!