All eyes will be on Willits at St. Helena, Clear Lake at Middletown this coming Friday
By Brian Sumpter
Lake County Sports on Facebook
LAKE COUNTY >> As Lower Lake High School head coach Jay Jakubowski addressed his players following a 40-6 blowout loss to the Middletown Mustangs on Friday night at Gordon Sadler Field in Lower Lake, the disparity between the two programs was all too clear.
Middletown, a high school that has been all about winning for the better part of the last four decades, improved to 6-1 in league play and 7-2 overall. Lower Lake, a team that hasn’t really done much since the mid-1990s, a brief exception coming in 2007 when the Trojans won their last league title under then-coach Stan Weiper, slipped to 1-5 in league play and 3-5 overall.
While first-year Middletown coach Kurtis Woodard talked about all the things the Mustangs did well in their latest win, and looked ahead to the playoffs next month, Jakubowski pleaded with his players to attend practice every day, something that has been optional for far too many Trojans this season.
Middletown, on the other hand, has had nearly 100-percent attendance at practice this season, according to Woodard, who said his players are totally committed to the job at hand, something that became a Middletown tradition under a 40-year run by Woodard’s predecessor, Bill Foltmer.
And nothing has changed now that Woodard, a longtime assistant for Foltmer, has taken over the program.
Unfortunately, not much has changed for Jakubowski since he took over Lower Lake’s program seven years ago. The Trojans are still struggling to put together a winning program, and one reason is the lackadaisical attitude many of the players have toward attending practice.
“It’s hard to prepare for a team when you don’t know who you’re going to have each week,” Jakubowski said. “It’s frustrating.”
And the worst part is the kids who are at practice every day can’t count on their teammates, so the trust factor is almost non-existent, according to Jakubowski.
Following is a look back at some of the highlights and lowlights from Week 9:
Statistics
Rushing – Kelseyville’s Michael DeJohn rushed for 216 yards, his second straight game with more than 200 yards, while also scoring twice in a 41-6 victory over Upper Lake. Middletown’s Tyler Galamay finished with 89 yards on eight carries and one touchdown against Lower Lake while teammate Trenton Griffith added 74 yards on 12 carries with two TDs. Kelseyville’s Bryce Keener had 80 yards and a TD while teammate Max Lee had 78 yards and a TD against Upper Lake.
Passing – Clear Lake’s AJ Bruch went 12-for-24 for 179 yards and a TD in a 36-7 loss to St. Helena. Middletown’s Blake Costlow completed six of 13 passes for 113 yards and two TDs against Lower Lake.
Receiving – Clear Lake’s Kaden Graham had three catches for 80 yards and a touchdown against St. Helena. Middletown’s John Finney had two catches for 70 yards and a TD.
Special teams
5-for-5 – Kelseyville’s Jose Juarez made all of the extra-point kicks he attempted against Upper Lake.
Getting it started – Middletown’s John Finney returned the opening kickoff 41 yards to set up the Mustangs’ first touchdown against Lower Lake.
Defense
Interceptions – Max Lee and Roman Mathis, both Kelseyville seniors, celebrated senior night with interceptions against Upper Lake.
Pick-six – Colton Karp of the Middletown junior varsity team returned an interception 73 yards for a touchdown against Lower Lake.
Deuce – Middletown’s Emmit Lloyd had two sacks against Lower Lake.
Just missed – Middletown’s second-team defense allowed a touchdown in the final seconds against Lower Lake as the Mustangs just missed their second shutout of the season.
Just missed II – Clear Lake and Upper Lake both avoided being shut out with late scores against St. Helena and Kelseyville, respectively.
Miscellaneous
Definition of unselfish – Kelseyville running back Michael DeJohn deferred on what would have been a touchdown carry so that lineman Milez Gambria could carry the ball with the Knights leading 7-0 against Upper Lake. DeJohn wanted to make sure the guys who have been blocking up front for him the last couple of seasons had an opportunity to carry the ball near the goal line on senior night. And both Gambria and Adrian Garcia, senior lineman, went on to score touchdowns against Upper Lake, carries that normally would have been reserved for the team’s running backs, including DeJohn. “He yelled to the sideline to get Milez (the carry) instead,” Kelseyville High School assistant coach Logan Barrick said. “We had talked about getting our senior linemen a touchdown if possible. He didn’t care that he hadn’t gotten one yet, he wanted to make sure his boys got some love. It was a pretty cool moment, and he’s a great kid … super unselfish.” DeJohn went on to score twice as things turned out.
Reserves shine – Leading 34-0 late in the third quarter against Lower Lake, Middletown went to its reserves for the remainder of the game. The Mustangs added a fourth-quarter score on a Ryan Halverson run to go up 40-0.
Hello 1,000 – Middletown senior quarterback Blake Costlow topped 1,000 yards for the season against Lower Lake. He also threw his 17th and 18th touchdown passes of the season.
Done deal – Middletown’s JVs clinched the undisputed league title with a 40-0 win over Lower Lake. Colton Karp scored touchdowns on offense and defense during the victory. Middletown can complete a perfect 10-0 season with a victory Friday at home against a winless Clear Lake team.
Home field advantage? – The Lower Lake timekeeper Friday night didn’t run the clock on a play just before halftime as Middletown was trying to push down the field in the final seconds. The play used up at least 12 seconds and made it possible for the Mustangs to score on a last-second pass, a play they wouldn’t have had time for if those 12 seconds had come off the block.
Kudos – Bands at football games make it a better event, and the Lower Lake band was out in full force Friday night prior to and during halftime of the varsity game. They did a great job.
Yep, whatever – Clear Lake head coach Augie Perez caught some flak online for the Cardinals’ 36-7 loss to St. Helena on Friday night. Bottom line is the Saints simply had too much of everything for Clear Lake, especially given personnel the Cardinals were missing. Vince Lombardi on the Clear Lake sidelines wouldn’t have made an appreciable difference.
The loudest critics – Have never coached or officiated and never will.
Non-football kudos – To the Kelseyville High girls soccer team, North Central League I champions, 11-0 in league and 21-1 overall. It’s the best Kelseyville girls soccer team in the school’s history.
Three-peat – Kelseyville High School junior varsity volleyball team, three-time NCL I champions.
Repeat – Kelseyville High varsity volleyball team, back-to-back NCL I champions.
Is it just me or … — Are there quite a few pennants headed the Knights’ way this season?
Looking to join the club – Kelseyville High School’s boys soccer team hosts Lower Lake on Tuesday in a big one (4:30 p.m. start). The winner clinches the outright league title. If they tie and Fort Bragg beats Clear Lake, the race will end in a three-way tie between Kelseyville, Lower Lake and Fort Bragg.
Big thanks – To Mike Hansen for reporting the play by play to me from the St. Helena-Clear Lake game on Friday night.
Week 10 spotlight – Willits (5-1 league, 7-1 overall) plays at St. Helena (6-0, 8-0) this Friday night while Middletown (6-1, 7-2) concludes its league and regular-season schedule at home against Clear Lake (4-2, 4-4). If Willits wins, Middletown clinches a share of the league title while Willits and St. Helena would be tied at 6-1 with one game remaining. Middletown has the league bye on Nov. 7. If St. Helena beats Willits, the Saints clinch no worse than a share of the league title. Since their final game is Nov. 7 at Upper Lake (0-7, 0-9), the outright league championship would pretty much be a done deal. Clear Lake is simply playing spoiler at this point.
For pride only – Bass Bowl XV on Nov. 7 matching Kelseyville at Clear Lake won’t have a bearing on the league race for the first time in a handful of seasons. Kelseyville has won the last two meetings and leads the series 9-5.
Without them, no Lake County Sports – A shutout to the sponsors who keep Lake County Sports going. They are Will Peterson Well Drilling, LLC; Shannon Ranches; Lyndall’s Sports Stop; Jeri-Co Garage Doors; Sun First Solar; Malley’s Rallys; Training Wheels Preschool; Griffin’s Furniture; The Brick Tavern; Clear Lake High School Boosters; The Shoe Box; and Strong Financial Network LLC. This is the third year for Lake County Sports, and these sponsors are helping keep high school sports and community sports coverage going in the county.
