After everything it has been through, Clearview refuses to quit now.

Behind four touchdowns from Kam Williams and two clutch plays late from Christian Stevenson, the Clippers handed Columbia its first loss of the season with a 27-21 upset win Oct. 17.

Tied at 21-21 late in the fourth quarter, Williams connected with Stevenson for a 64-yard touchdown with 3:17 remaining. Stevenson came down with an interception on the ensuing drive to seal the game in the final minute.

“It’s huge. It means a lot to the kids and it especially means a lot the seniors,” Clearview coach Cody Kaya said. “Obviously, we’ve had some success around here in years past, but one thing in the regular season at least, was we had a hard time getting by Columbia. To come here on the road and get out of here with a win, it means the world to them and our whole team. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Following an 0-4 start, Clearview (4-5, 4-2 LC8) has bounced back in a huge way and is suddenly back in the LC8 title picture. The Clippers only trail Columbia and Keystone by a game in the standings with a Week 10 matchup against the Wildcats looming.

With the loss, Columbia (8-1, 5-1 LC8) was unable to wrap up the conference title.

“I feel like we had a chip on our shoulder all week,” Williams said. “Nobody believed in us, we were the underdogs. We came out and wanted it more than them.”

Despite their offense only running one play in a 13-minute span during the first half, the Clippers jumped out to a 14-0 lead with a couple big plays from Williams.

After throwing a red-zone interception on the opening possession, Williams made up for it. The senior recovered a fumbled Columbia pitch and returned it 48 yards for the touchdown.

The Raiders responded as Wesley Sanders completed passes of 21 and 22 yards to march down the field. They got inside of the 5-yard line before Clearview’s defense made a stand and forced a turnover on downs. Montez Sanchez-Miller sacked Sanders on fourth down and set the program record for sacks in a season in the process.

On the next play, Williams went the distance for an 85-yard touchdown to extend Clearview’s lead to 14-0 with 9:50 left in the second quarter.

“Kam is incredible,” Kaya said. “He’s one of the smartest kids I’ve ever been around. He just has incredible natural instincts and a great work ethic. He’s really the epitome of a leader.”

Despite facing a two-touchdown deficit, Columbia controlled the rest of the half to tie the game. Xavier Hendon broke off a 52-yard run and later scored from two yards out to pull the Raiders within seven.

Following a Clearview punt, the Raiders found the end zone again with 42 seconds left in the half. Jose Rivera’s four-yard score tied it at 14-14 heading into the locker room.

“I thought our kids came back in that second quarter and recaptured the momentum, which was a good thing,” Columbia coach Mike Rice said. “Ultimately in the second half, we just didn’t execute late. Then you give up another big play for the game-winner.”

After forcing a punt to start the second half, Clearview took the lead with a drive that took up nearly one quarter. Starting at their own 13-yard line, the Clippers marched down the field on a 19-play, 87-yard drive that spanned 11:58. Williams finished it off with a one-yard touchdown with 6:09 remaining.

The Raiders are not necessarily known for their quick-strike offense, but they tied the game again two plays later with a 66-yard touchdown pass from Sanders to Rivera.

Down the stretch, it came down to what team was going to make one more big play. That big play came from Stevenson, who found the end zone to give Clearview the lead for good.

“I just try to do my best to help out the team,” Stevenson said. “It’s a team effort, I couldn’t do it without my teammates and all my coaches.”

Due to the head-to-head win over Keystone, Columbia can still win the LC8 title Oct. 24 with a win at Firelands. Clearview hosts the Wildcats and could force a tie atop the standings with a win and a Raider loss.

THE SCORE

Clearview 27, Columbia 21

Originally Published: October 17, 2025 at 10:28 PM EDT