Clymer/Sherman/Panama’s Brendon Ramsey runs into a Southwestern defender before scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s Section VI Class C semifinal in Clymer. P-J photo by Scott Reagle

CLYMER — Clymer/Sherman/Panama nearly earned a chance to play for its third straight Section VI championship Saturday afternoon.

The Wolfpack certainly had their opportunities.

But they came up just short in a 24-21 loss Southwestern.

“We just didn’t make enough plays,” C/S/P coach Ty Harper said following the game.

C/S/P began eight of its 10 drives across its own 40-yard line, including four that began in Trojans’ territory. Of the four that started on the Southwestern side of the 50-yard line, the Wolfpack came away with just seven points.

“That’s a struggle that we’ve had all spring. We’ve been fortunate to not have it come back and bite us,” Harper said. “When you play a team as good as Southwestern, if you don’t convert on a short field, if you can’t punch the ball in the end zone, you’re probably not going to be successful.”

C/S/P also gave the ball away four times, including a pair of interceptions a muffed punt and a turnover on downs.

The Trojans put the ball on the ground three times with fumbles, but the Wolfpack were unable to recover any of them.

On its first drive of the game, C/S/P started at its own 45-yard line, but was only able to pick up 5 yards before turning the ball over on downs.

The Wolfpack’s next four drives began in Southwestern territory and the first resulted in a touchdown, but the next three ended in a punt and two interceptions.

C/S/P opened its final drive of the first half at its own 45-yard line with little time remaining on the clock, but an 11-yard sack on first down took away any realistic opportunity to chip into the Trojans’ 17-6 lead.

“We had a lot of opportunities, especially in the first half, that we didn’t cash in on,” Harper said. “That’s on me for not getting us into the right plays or formations to score points.”

After a stop on Southwestern’s first drive of the second half, the Wolfpack marched right down the field and scored to make it a 17-14 game, but the C/S/P offense stalled on its next two drives.

Harper’s team was forced to punt on fourth-and-9 from its own 35-yard line after a drive start at the 34 midway through the third quarter. Then, despite starting at their own 49-yard line late in the third quarter, the Wolfpack again punted on fourth down from their own 42-yard line after a pair of penalties to open the drive put them at first-and-30 from the 26-yard line.

Trailing by three with a little more than five minutes remaining, C/S/P had another chance to either tie or take the lead when it forced Southwestern to punt from its own 10-yard line after a three-and-out, but the Wolfpack muffed the punt near their own sideline and the Trojans’ Garrett Swan fell on the loose ball. The Trojans were then able to run off the final 5:26 after a pair of first-down runs.

“We probably left some opportunities on the field,” Harper said. “I have to be better moving forward.”

After back-to-back New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class D championships, C/S/P was moved up to Class C this season.

The debate was whether or not the Wolfpack could hang with bigger schools and teams this spring.

After going 5-0 in the regular season and going toe-to-toe with the Trojans in the postseason, C/S/P proved it belongs.

Saturday just wasn’t the Wolfpack’s day.