VOLGA — Clark/Willow Lake flipped the script on the Cossacks.

The Cyclones (2-1) got their get-back on Sioux Valley after losing to it earlier this season, 22-8. Two weeks later it was CWL’s turn, pulling away for the 26-8 victory over the Cossacks (2-2).

“It was a great win,” said junior quarterback Joey Ries. “Good to come back off the bye week.  We lost a starter at halftime, but we went through it and won the game.”

Clark/Willow Lake was able to control the line of scrimmage in the second half, scoring two fourth-quarter touchdowns to seal the win.

“Great team win,” said Clark/Willow Lake head coach Dave Severson. “Every game we say the line is going to win or lose the game. And we had a bye week coming off that, sometimes that’s a little bit slow going to get back into the rhythm but we just came out and got after them.”

Up 12-8 in the fourth quarter, the Cyclones opened the final frame driving deep into Cossack territory.

Clark/Willow Lake's Joey Ries looks to pass the ball during the Cyclones 26-8 win over Sioux Valley on Sept. 12, 2025, in Volga. (Jon Akre / 605 Sports)

With just over seven minutes to play, Ries connected with receiver Cooper Pommer for a 7-yard touchdown on fourth down. Ries would scramble for the 2-pt conversion to give CWL a two-possession lead.

“That’s what we had for him,” said Ries on the touchdown to Pommer. “We had a Y-option and I trusted my receiver to go get the ball and he came down with it. Made a great play on the ball.”

But the play of the game came on the ensuing Cossack drive less than a minute later. The Cyclone defense forced a turnover on downs on fourth and less than a yard to keep the Cossacks offense off the field late.

“Big fourth down stop there,” Severson said. “It was fourth and inches and we stuffed them. It’s a game of inches and if we give that fourth down up, they get a first, that’s a completely different ballgame. We preach every play is just as important as the last play. They really showed up and played with heart tonight and that was awesome.”

The Cyclones offense sat at midfield and nearly drained the final six minutes off the clock if it wasn’t for junior running back Jakob Steen scoring a 6-yard touchdown on fourth and goal. Steen had plenty of hard-hitting runs behind an offensive line that was able to control the line of scrimmage, with the back finally reaching paydirt with 21 seconds to play.

“(Offensive) Line play upfront, I can’t speak enough about it,” Severson said. “Our running backs ran hard. They did their job very well and I’m so proud of them boys.”

The Cyclone defense limited the Cossacks to just eight points in the win, limiting the run game and any big plays from SV as well, something Severson says was the difference from their meeting two weeks ago.

“We gave up a touchdown the first time we played them kind of late in the first half, we left them too much time and they took advantage of it,” Severson said. “We gave up a couple big plays. They have a lot of great athletes and we saw it tonight. We just adjusted, tried to take them big plays away, tried to dominate upfront and that’s what we did.”

Clark/Willow Lake's Jakob Steen runs the football during the Cyclones' 26-8 win over Sioux Valley on Sept. 12, 2025, in Volga. (Jon Akre / 605 Sports)

Severson says it was also a much better performance from Ries, who finished with two passing touchdowns and a 2-pt conversion in the win.

“Joey did much better,” Severson said. “I know the first time we played them up there, he was a little shaky. He was 8-for-25, but I think he only had one incompletion tonight. We knew we wanted to run the ball, we knew we could run the ball and we wanted to take some pressure off of Joey.”

The Cyclones got the scoring started midway through the first quarter with Emmerson Larson scoring at the goal line. In the second, SV’s Mitchell Guthmiller took a touch pass 10-yards for a score, with Wyatt Hardt punching in the 2-pt try and the only SV lead of the game.

Later in the first half, Ries flipped fields and found Pommer on a 14-yard touchdown pass, their first of two touchdowns in the win.

After the loss to the Cossacks two weeks ago, CWL came ready to play.

“We just came hungry,” Ries said. “I feel like they kind of thought this would be a little easier of a game and we knew we weren’t 14-points worse than them. We knew we were with them or better than them, so we proved that tonight.”