Clifton coach Chuck Caniford knew he had something special at quarterback in Mason Brandenberger when the then-sophomore quarterback stepped in for the team’s injured starter early last year and made enough of an impact to split time at the position for the rest of the season. 

After finishing last year with 859 total yards and seven touchdowns, Brandenberger took over the job full-time this season and has thrived while leading the Cubs offense to an average of more than 45 points per game. 

Brandenberger already has 798 yards of offense and 10 touchdowns through four games this season as Clifton is off to its best start (4-0) since the team started the 2011 season with a 4-1 record. 

“He’s a competitor,” Caniford said. “That’s the thing that jumps out at you. It doesn’t matter the situation or the sport, he’s just a really competitive kid who always finds a way to be successful. He’s a playmaker – when things break down, he finds a way to make something happen. He loves to compete, and he loves to win.”

The offense may flow through Brandenberger but one of the biggest stories this year has been the team’s ability to move on from the graduation of star running back Marc Gutierrez in the spring. Gutierrez rushed for 4,459 yards in three seasons at the varsity level and carried the ball a combined 543 times as a junior and senior. 

While there was outside concern as to how the Cubs would fill the gaping hole left in their returning production on the ground, Caniford was confident in the pieces the team had coming back. 

Alfredo Rodriguez and Riley Perry each played a role in the running game last year but had limited opportunities to make a true impact behind Gutierrez. Now, the duo has combined to rush for 649 yards and 10 touchdowns, quickly answering any questions about the new-look offense. 

Rodriguez and Perry, combined with the threat Brandenberger brings on the ground, keep defenses off balance and allow Caniford to split the carries to have fresh legs available as often as possible.

“We knew what we had coming in with those guys at running back,” Caniford said. “We were really confident they could both get the job done. The nice thing about having two of them is they’re both full-time defensive players, so we’re able to rotate them in and keep them fresh. 

“They’re both different a style. Alfredo is a real tough, hard runner and Riley is the guy when he gets and a crease and hits that second gear, he can fly. It’s nice to have two styles who can both get the job done.”

The three-headed attack in the run game, along with a few big plays in the passing game from TJ Ferch and Mason Ochoa, helped Clifton knock off Valley Mills, Crawford and Maypearl by a combined score of 135-14. 

The Cubs took things to another level last Friday night, though, defeating McGregor 48-0. The Bulldogs entered the matchup 3-0 with wins over Marlin, Bosqueville and Rogers thanks to a high-flying offense before running into Clifton. 

Caniford said the Cubs did a good job of jumping out to an early lead and keeping McGregor off-balance with a dominant effort from the defensive line, which has been a force to be reckoned with all season. 

That group features several players who are new to the position. Santos Murillo is a converted offensive lineman while Rodriguez, Hayden Newton and Elias Tebo are converted linebackers. Bodee Humphreys is another key defensive lineman who is working his way back from injury. 

Murillo, Rodriguez, Newton and Tebo have combined for five sacks, four hurries, 62 tackles and 12 tackles for loss so far this year. 

“In our system and our scheme, our defensive linemen are playmakers – they aren’t there to just eat up blocks, so the linebackers can go make plays,” Caniford said. “We want our front four to be disruptive. Moving those linebackers down there helped, because they had that mentality already.”

Clifton will look to continue its dominant start against a pair of Class 4A programs in Godley and Venus the next two weeks. The Cubs will open District 8-3A DII play on Oct. 12 against Hamilton with their sights set on producing a deep playoff run. 

Clifton has been knocked out of the postseason in the second each in each of the last four years under Caniford, a streak the team hopes to snap by pushing through to the third round this season. 

“That’s a goal our kids set back in December,” Caniford said. “They want to be the team that breaks through here. This is a group of kids that has the ability to do that. That’s something these kids are really hungry for. 

“We’ve kind of established ourselves as a team that’s going to be there in November and now we need to see if we can get ourselves in a position to be a team that’s going to be there in December.”