Mustangs can’t overcome four turnovers in season-opening 10-7 home loss
By Brian Sumpter
Lake County Sports on Facebook
MIDDLETOWN >> It’s not like Kurtis Woodard hasn’t been here before. A year ago, Woodard lost his Middletown High School varsity coaching debut to Berean Christian on a red-hot Saturday in Walnut Creek.
Fast forward to a year later when the Mustangs dropped their 2026 season opener, this time at home, falling 10-7 to the Pierce Bears in a mistake-filled effort Friday night at Bill Foltmer Field.
“When you get guys injured, you have to move people around, and not just one player but several,” Woodard said as the defending North Coast Section Division 7 champions tried to plug the holes against a Pierce team that came out on top despite completing only one pass for 10 yards.
“We’ll get some guys back soon and be able move players back to the positions they’re used to playing,” Woodard said. “We just don’t have the depth that we had last year.”
Woodard also praised his opponent, the Bears, who put together a game-winning drive that carried them from their own 35-yard-line to the Middletown 2, using up much of the final 3:57 on the clock. They did it with eight straight no-nonsense runs, including an 18-yard keeper by quarterback Austin Jorge on a critical third-and-eight play that moved the ball to the Middletown 7. After running back Ben Sweet gained five yards up the middle on a first-and-goal play, the Bears used their final timeout with 10 seconds left.
Kicker Demian Vega came on that point. Vega, who was making 50-yard field goals during warmups, booted an 18-yarder through the uprights to break the tie and touch off a stampede of Pierce players racing to the sideline with arms raised in celebration.
Middletown made it exciting after taking the kickoff and running out of bounds with five seconds left. Quarterback Jamisen Jackson, who experienced the ups and downs that any QB making his first varsity start is going to go through, heaved a deep ball down the Middletown sideline where a double-covered Luke Mace appeared to have a step on his defenders for a split second, but the ball was swatted away before Mace could pull it in, and the game ended.
“These guys never quit fighting,” Woodard said of the Mustangs, who are looking forward to a bye next week before they host Willits in a North Central League I interlock game Sept. 11. “Two weeks to prepare for Willits will help us.”
If you believe in signs, how the game started might have been perceived as an ill omen for the Mustangs, who won the coin flip, deferred and kicked off to Pierce. On the kickoff return, Middletown was flagged 15 yards for a personal foul.
Both teams had long drives that produced nothing in the first quarter.
Pierce moved from its own 33 to the Middletown 24 before a first-and-10 pass was picked off by linebacker Ryan Halverson inside the 10-yard-line.
Middletown took over at its own 7 and began a long drive down the field, converting twice on key third-downs completions – 14 yards from Jackson to Colton Karp and 25 yards from Jackson to Tyler Galamay.
Facing a first-and-goal from the Pierce 10, Jackson was dropped for a two-yard loss while trying to find running room around the right side. On second-and-goal, Jackson fumbled the ball back to Pierce on the opening play of the second quarter, the first of back-to-back-to-back lost fumbles by the Mustangs in the quarter.
Pierce parlayed that second lost fumble into a touchdown, taking over at Middletown’s 21 and scoring five running plays later on a Sweet 4-yard run on third-and-goal. Vega tacked on the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
Pierce returned the favor with under a minute to play in the second quarter, Middletown’s Esteban Muniz stepping in front of a Jorge pass for the interception.
The Mustangs had 53 seconds to work with from their own 40-yard-line and made the most of them, driving 60 yards in 18 seconds. Galamay, who had four catches for 107 yards on the night along with 85 yards rushing, caught a 40-yard pass from Jackson. After an incomplete pass, the Mustangs covered the final 20 yards to the end zone on a Jackson strike over the middle to Mace, who carried Pierce defenders with him into the end zone. Jackson’s PAT kick tied it at 7-7.
Middletown’s first possession of the second half crossed into Bears territory before Jackson was intercepted. When the Mustangs got the ball back on a punt into the end zone for a touchback, it looked like they might take the lead. A 17-play drive ensued featuring a mixture of runs and passes – Jackson went 13-for-20 for 211 yards in his first start – before stalling out deep in Pierce territory. Jackson was sacked for an 11-yard loss at the Pierce 14, then sacked again on fourth down as the Bears took over on downs.
With the score still locked at 7, Middletown had 5:53 left to work with and the ball at its own 13. The Mustangs picked up one first down before they were forced to punt, and the Bears got the ball back with 3:57 remaining at their own 35. That’s when they began their winning march, capped by the field goal.
The four turnovers were ultimately too much for the Mustangs to overcome as they spent as much time fighting themselves as the Bears.
“Little things didn’t go our way tonight,” Woodard said. “We made some inexperienced mistakes, but there was no quitting on our part. The heart and effort were there all game.”
Woodard acknowledged a strong effort by the Pierce run defense, which allowed only three double-digit gains by Middletown running backs, the longest 18 yards by John Finney. Galamay had the other two, 10- and 11-yarders.
“They didn’t give us the big play,” Woodward said of what was the bread and butter of Middletown’s running attack a year ago. “I felt like we were close a couple of times, but it didn’t happen. Give them the credit for that.”
Two key pieces of Middletown’s line, Emmitt Lloyd and Brody Costlow, were watching the game from the sidelines with injuries. Smith is expected back for Stuart Hall while Costlow may return late next month.
“We’ll get better,” Woodard said. “It makes a big difference when you don’t have to move people around.”
Middletown won the junior varsity game 22-14, Dre Goins scoring on a 65-yard interception return with a little over a minute to play to snap a 14-all tie. Goins picked off another pass in the final seconds to seal the victory.
GAME NOTES: Middletown had 319 yards of total offense (less sacks) to Pierce’s 224, but Pierce turned the ball over only twice to Middletown’s four times … Jorge, a mobile quarterback, finished as Pierce’s leading rusher with 98 yards … One thing that hasn’t changed for Middletown since last season’s 11-3 finish is the non-stop production of Galamay and Halverson … Galamay had 192 yards of total offense while Halverson had four solo tackles and 14 assists, plus an interception.
