Mustangs hang tough for a half in 42-21 non-league loss
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PIEDMONT >> Middletown played a competitive first half before the Piedmont Highlanders pulled away over the final two quarters to beat the Mustangs and hand them their first loss of the season, 42-21, in non-league varsity football action Friday night in Piedmont.
The better team won, according to Middletown head coach Bill Foltmer.
“We got our butts kicked, bottom line,” Foltmer said. “They had too much size, too much athleticism for us. Their line was more physical than ours. We got beat by a better team.”
Middletown (1-1) had a long pass completion called back on a penalty right before the half but still trailed only 21-15. Piedmont took control of the game with a 14-point third quarter and had a 41-15 lead before the Mustangs scored late in the fourth quarter on a Hunter Karp 1-yard run.
The Mustangs’ first two touchdowns came on junior running back Trenton Griffith runs of 20 yards in the first quarter and four yards in the second quarter. Griffith was Middletown’s workhorse with 58 yards on 13 carries while freshman backfield teammate Tyler Galamay added 46 yards on eight carries.
Middletown finished with 135 yards on the ground and another 134 through the air as junior quarterback Blake Costlow went 10-for-21 with no interceptions. His top target was junior wide receiver Jon Hawkins (five catches for 97 yards), who was the player of the game for the Mustangs, according to Foltmer.
“Blake had a good game and Griffith and Galamay both ran the ball well, but Hawkins had a couple of great catches, fantastic catches,” Foltmer said.
Middletown’s defense had a tough night pretty much from beginning to end, according to Foltmer, especially when it came to stopping a slip-screen pass the Highlanders went to time and time again.
“They got two blockers out in front and they just ran us over,” Foltmer said. “We couldn’t stop it. It was a terrible night for us (on defense).”
Middletown has a bye next weekend before returning to action Sept. 20 at home against Kelseyville, the Mustangs’ league opener.
Junior varsity
Middletown’s junior varsity team improved to 2-0 with a 27-14 win over Piedmont, outscoring the Highlanders 20-0 in the fourth quarter to erase a 14-7 deficit.
Ryan Henning rushed Middletown’s first three touchdowns on runs of 2 yards in the first quarter and 2 and 5 yards in the fourth quarter, part of his 81-yard night. Esteban Ruiz put the game out of reach with a 50-yard scoring run with 4:41 left to play.
John Finney anchored Middletown’s rushing attack with 112 yards on 18 carries while Muniz finished with 84 yards on only five carries. Overall, Middletown ran for 292 yards.
