Winner advances to North Coast Section Division 7 championship game
By Brian Sumpter
Lake County Sports on Facebook
MIDDLETOWN >> Preparing to go up against the Concord Bears on Friday in the semifinal round of the North Coast Section Division 7 football playoffs, Middletown head coach Kurtis Woodard said the Mustangs are facing one tough assignment. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Bill Foltmer Field.
“I don’t know I’ve seen a more complete team than them,” Woodard said of a 7-4 Concord squad, a Division 5 team that was dropped down into Division 7 for the playoffs. “They look good, and it all starts in the trenches. They’ve got good size, a good running back and a quarterback who is accurate with a quick release that runs strong.”
Concord is averaging better than 34 points a game on offense, and if you throw out a 52-6 early-season loss to Division 2 Alameda, that average increase to 37. However, the Bears also allow a lot of points, almost 24 a game. They are coming off a 36-24 first-round win over Vallejo, another Division 5 team playing down in the postseason.
“They’re aggressive (on defense),” Woodard said. “But I think city teams may not focus on the same things we do.”
Meaning defense may not be as a high a priority for the Bears as it is for the Mustangs, according to Woodard.
Concord quarterback Juan Gonzalez, a junior, has passed for 1,767 yards and 22 touchdowns and also has 728 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground. Running back Jacari Gibson, a senior transfer, has been with the Bears for only the last six games during which time he’s put up some impressive numbers – 731 yards and eight TDs with a rushing average of 11.6 yards a carry. Concord is 4-2 since Gibson joined the team, and both of the losses were nailbiters – 25-21 to Mt. Diablo and 21-20 to Northgate, both bigger schools than Concord.
“He runs strong,” Woodard said of Gibson.
Middletown (9-2) and Concord have one common opponent this season, Berean Christian of Walnut Creek. Middletown fell 22-14 to Berean Christian in its season opener way back in late August while Concord dispatched the Eagles 35-14 on Nov. 1.
Middletown, a winner of five straight entering play, stands just a win away from reaching the Division 7 championship game against the Piedmont-Willits semifinal winner, two teams the Mustangs beat earlier this season. Concord stands in the Mustangs’ way.
“We can’t flinch when they make plays,” Woodard said. “Just continue to bring it.”
With a very active quarterback in Gonzalez, Woodard said it’s imperative the Middletown defense doesn’t over pursue.
“Do you job and stay home,” Woodard said.
While the flow of the play may go in one direction, Gonzalez often goes the other if the opportunity presents itself, according to Woodard.
This is not a new situation for the Mustangs, who have gone up against bigger and more physical lines this season and in past years and still emerged victorious.
“I watched (the film of) our championship game in 2018 against Salesian for the first time,” Woodard said. “They were big up front, had weapons, but we just played our game and some guys really stepped up (quarterback RH Hess and running back Nico Barrio among them).”
Woodard said his 2025 squad needs to do the same thing. The Mustangs are no stranger to the end zone this season, averaging nearly 36 points a game, while the defense is allowing an average of only 13. No team has dented the Middletown defense for more than eight points during its current five-game winning streak.
Like the fifth-seeded Bears, the top-seeded Mustangs can run and throw the ball as senior quarterback Blake Costlow is having a career year, complimented by the masterful running skills of senior Trenton Griffth and sophomore Tyler Galamay, and receiving talents of senior Jon Hawkins. The Mustangs have other weapons as well, including sophomore John Finney and senior Hayden Xavier.
Concord, like Archie Williams a week ago in the first round, will have to deal with playing on a natural surface slick from recent rainfall. The slippery ball and soft footing had a cumulative effect on the Falcons, who definitely struggled with the conditions at times.
“I’m not saying Concord is one of those powerhouse teams,” Woodard said. “But we definitely respect what they are bringing to this game.”
