Clifton Central QB Cash Minard breaks TD record in payback, second-round win over Dwight

As a freshman a season ago, Clifton Central ’s Cash Minard caught two of senior quarterback Brady Shule’s program-record 32 touchdown passes. He didn’t know it at the time, but Minard would soon be taking over for Shule at quarterback for the Comets. With his five touchdown passes in Saturday’s 48-12 win over Dwight in the IHSA Class 1A second-round playoffs Saturday, a win that saw the host Comets (10-1) get payback after a loss to the Trojans (8-4) in last season’s second round, Minard claimed that single-season touchdown record for himself. He sits at 35 touchdown passes and counting this season, leading an offense for a Clifton Central team that has won 10 games in a row, averaged over 43 points per game in that span and is headed to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2019. “The first game was a struggle, but I put my mind to it and kept working,” he said. “I didn’t actually know I was going to play quarterback until a day into the summer workouts, and it was a struggle. But Brady [Shule] was a dog, and I just learned after him.” That first game was a 7-6 loss to Salt Fork in which Minard was 7-of-19 passing for just 90 yards. He’s now up to 2,214 yards on the season, 150 yards shy of the record also set by Shule last season, with just six interceptions to go with his 35 touchdowns. Minard was 20-of-26 passing Saturday for 240 yards and one interception to go with his five TDs. He also ran for a team-high 46 yards on a day where 1,000-yard rusher Everett Bailey was uncharacteristically bottled up by the Dwight defense. An experienced senior receiving corps has certainly eased Minard’s transition at quarterback. He threw two touchdowns to Kaden Neveu and one each to Derek Meier, Mayson Mitchell and Andrew Rohlwing. Meier also threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Neveu on the Comets’ first play from scrimmage and later ran back a 50-yard punt return touchdown. Neveu had 11 catches for 205 yards and three touchdowns. “The chemistry last year, they all helped me with my wide receiver routes and stuff,” Minard said. “This year the chemistry has just gotten higher. They’ve trusted me, and I’ve trusted them.” The win was also a bit cathartic for the Comets players who not only were part of last season’s loss to Dwight, but also had never beaten the Trojans going back to their earliest days of playing football. For senior Jake Thompson, the win was worth the wait. “We haven’t beaten these guys all through childhood, from the [Central Stars youth football team] to JV, they always beat the hell out of us,” he said. “We finally did it, and that was a revenge game. ... “We’ve busted our butts all week. It was probably one of our best weeks of practice all season. We really came together this week and wanted to get it done.” Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 24 Football: Clifton Central vs. Dwight, Class 1A playoffs Clifton Central players hoist the Dwight's during the Comets' 48-12 victory over Dwight in IHSA Class 1A playoffs Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (Tiffany Blanchette/Tiffany Blanchette) Second-year head coach Jeff Perzee, a 1994 Central graduate and former assistant coach at his alma mater, has contributed to plenty of Comets football games over the years. He said this win was as satisfying as any he’s been a part of. “I went here, I coached here for a while, I left, I came back, and this win is right at the top,” he said. “Going to the quarterfinals, a big win with a special group of kids, this is a special place in my heart. I can’t say enough. “I just hope we can keep it rolling and keep it rolling for our fans and our community.” The Comets will travel to play Heyworth (11-0) in the quarterfinals next weekend. While Dwight had its season come to an end, the Trojans this fall were able to continue their recent run of success. The team’s senior group – including starting QB/LB Collin Bachand, RB/LB Ayden Collom, WR/DB Joseph Duffy and OL/DL Will Anderson – was able to finish their careers with three straight eight-win seasons, the longest such streak in the history of the 108-year-old program. Duffy and Collom each ran for a touchdown Saturday. “This season was led by our seniors,” coach Luke Standiford said. “These last three seasons, those seniors have played a big part in all the success this team has had. They’ve shown what the standard is for how to win and have success as a football program. Hopefully these younger guys recognize that and follow suit. “But they left a legacy, and we’ll never forget them. It’s a group that will be very special to me for the rest of my coaching career.”