Trenton Griffith rushes for 174 yards in 22-14 road loss to Berean Christian
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MIDDLETOWN >> Kurtis Woodard won’t soon forget his first game as head coach of the Middletown Mustangs. If being a first game isn’t enough, his team had to play through two heat delays on the artificial turf field that is home to the Berean Christian Eagles, who won 22-14 in the season opener for both teams Saturday afternoon in Walnut Creek.
Woodard made no excuses for his team’s loss though he had plenty to choose from, among them the intense heat and the absence of one of his best players, Jon Hawkins, as well as three linemen.
“Missed opportunities today, that’s what it comes down to,” Woodard said. “We came out strong, but mental and physical mistakes caused us to come way with the loss. Hats off to BC for overcoming adversity.”
Middletown (0-1) held leads of 6-0 and 14-6, the latter the halftime score, before Berean Christian (1-0) took control in the second half. The Eagles tied it up on quarterback Christian Smith’s 11-yard run and the ensuing two-point conversion run by Megginis Lovitt with 4:30 left in the third quarter, and pushed ahead to stay on Timothy Ng’s 20-yard touchdown run followed by a Ng conversion run with 10 minutes remaining in the game.
The Mustangs drove into Eagles territory in the final minutes but couldn’t quite reach the red zone before turning the ball over on downs, which allowed Berean Christian to run out the clock.
“They were bringing the house late in the game,” Woodard said.
Both teams had chances to add their point totals. Berean Christian was knocking on the door right before halftime, but the Mustangs’ goal-line stan ended with the defense stuffing the Eagles on third-and-goal and fourth-and-goal runs from the 1-yard line.
The heat delays sent both teams to the shade where they could hydrate and try to stay cool as the air temperature climbed into the high-90s. Of course, the temperature on the turf was considerably higher for the fully uniformed and helmeted players going all out on the artificial surface.
Woodard said the first heat delay dented the momentum the Mustangs had at the time with a 14-6 lead.
“We felt like we had something going,” Woodard said. “But both teams had to deal with it, so it’s not an excuse.”
Middletown took a 6-0 lead with 4:24 left in the first quarter on Blake Costlow’s 8-yard pass to Hayden Xavier. The Mustangs missed the extra-point kick.
After Berean Christian pulled even 6-6 on Lovitt’s 1-yard run early in the second quarter, the Mustangs pushed ahead a few minutes later when Tyler Galamay broke loose on a 23-yard run. Galamay also had the two-point conversion run for a 14-6 Middletown lead.
The Mustangs had other scoring opportunities, but penalties, turnovers or simple lack of execution took their toll.
“We had three straight false starts on one possession,” Woodard said.
Late in the game Xavier intercepted a pass and was returning the ball inside Berean Christian territory when he was stripped from behind. The Eagles recovered the fumble.
Injuries – heat related and otherwise – also affected the Mustangs late in the game. Galamay left with cramps and Jamisen Jackson was hurt making a tackle, leaving the team a bit shorthanded at running back.
“That’s where we could have used Hawkins,” Woodard said of his jack-of-all-trades senior.
Hawkins missed the game because he was showing animals at the Lake County Fair, an excused absence Woodard knew about far in advance. Three missing linemen (out for various reasons) didn’t help the team’s effort up front on offense and defense.
While there were certainly plenty of shortcomings for the Mustangs in their first effort of 2025, one of them was not Trenton Griffith. The senior running back, a first-team All-League selection a year ago, did everything he could do to get Middletown a win.
“He had a great game,” Woodard said of Griffith’s 174 rushing yards on only 10 carries. “Trenton is our workhorse.”
“We knew it was there for him,” Woodard said of the potential for Griffith to have a big game against the Eagles. “He just couldn’t break one into the end zone.”
Galamay added 47 yards on seven carries as the Mustangs finished with 223 yards on the ground. Yards through the air were a little tougher to come by. Costlow completed 5 of 12 passes for 39 yards with one TD and one interception. Griffith had two catches for 22 yards.
Both teams committed two turnovers.
“The coaching staff will watch film together this weekend and come back on Monday to correct today’s mistakes and have a gameplan for Piedmont,” Woodard said.
Middletown hosts Piedmont (0-1) on Friday night, the Mustangs’ home opener. Piedmont lost 41-17 to Salesian in its season opener Saturday in Richmond.
TEAM NOTES: While Hawkins returns this coming week, Woodard said he didn’t know if the three linemen missing against Berean Christian would be available for Piedmont … Galamay was OK after the game, according to Woodard … Middletown’s defense certainly has some shoring up to do after allowing 211 yards on the ground and 132 through the air. Smith, the Berean Christian quarterback, went 10-for-16 with one interception while also rushing for 59 yards and a TD … Middletown linebacker Ryan Henning had a busy day with two solo tackles and 14 assists, and defensive back Xavier had five solo stops and five assists … There was no junior varsity game … Middletown lost 42-21 at Piedmont in week two last season.
