Mustangs end up in Division 5, Knights in Division 7 as section playoffs begin
By Brian Sumpter
Lake County Sports on Facebook
LAKE COUNTY >> Playoff time is here and two Lake County teams made the cut.
Middletown, defending North Coast Section Division 7 champion, bumps up to Division 5 this year after an 8-2 run through the regular season, the same record it had going into the playoffs a year ago. Kelseyville, North Central League I North champion in head coach Logan Barrick’s first season, is gunning for a section championship in Division 7. The Knights (6-4) won their final four games to reach the postseason.
Both Middletown and Kelseyville closed out their regular season with solid wins in Week 10, the Mustangs pulling away for a 54-20 victory at Fort Bragg, and the Knights taking care of business with a North-clinching 29-8 win over the Willits Wolverines in the friendly confines of Maize Field.
While Middletown and Kelseyville advance to the second season, Week 10 marked the end of the road for the Upper Lake Cougars, who fell 21-14 at Colusa, and the Lower Lake Trojans, 53-18 losers at St. Helena. The Saints’ win earned them a berth in the Division 7 playoffs, and they’ll face another NCL I team Friday when they travel to Cloverdale. NCL I South champion Stuart Hall (9-1) is also in the Division 7 field.
Kelseyville and Middletown both open on the road this weekend. The eighth-seeded Knights travel to No. 1 McKinleyville (7-3) on Friday night at 7 p.m. while the fifth-seeded Mustangs visit No. 4 St. Vincent (4-6) on Saturday in Petaluma at 1 p.m.
Middletown-St. Vincent was once a pretty big rivalry when both teams played in the NCL II. The two teams haven’t met since the 2018 season when the Mustangs beat St. Vincent, who are also the Mustangs, 48-0 in the first round of the playoffs at Middletown – their first of four straight wins en route to a section championship.
St. Vincent has upped its competitive schedule in the years since and is now a member of the powerhouse Redwood Empire Adobe League that includes Cardinal Newman, Marin Catholic, Windsor, American Canyon and San Marin. The Petaluma-based Mustangs lost 56-55 to Clear Lake in the memorable 2022 North Coast Section championship game, but came right back to win section, NorCal and state titles in 2023 and 2024. A year ago, St. Vincent was gunning for a third section title and a third straight trip to the CIF state playoffs but lost out to Ferndale 26-14.
Kelseyville beat McKinleyville 50-18 only two years ago in the season opener for both teams. The Knights went on to win the NCL I championship in 2024 before losing to Del Norte in the first round of the playoffs. The Knights also beat McKinleyville 62-12 in the 2023 season opener at Kelseyville.
Following is a look back at some of the Week 10 highlights and lowlights:
Statistics
Rushing – Johnny Finney carried the ball 13 times for 125 yards and two touchdowns in Middletown’s win over Fort Bragg while backfield mate Tyler Galamay added 53 yards only six carries with three more touchdowns. Upper Lake’s Gage Faalelea had 14 carries for 144 yards against Colusa while teammates Antario Wyman and Jacob Weldon finished with 78 and 59 yards, respectively. Wyman and Weldon both scored touchdowns. Lower Lake’s Roy Percoats finished with 72 yards and a TD against St. Helena while the Saints had three running backs crack 100 yards – George Filippini (16 carries for 151 yards, 2 TDs), Luca Montelli (10 carries for 120 yards, TD) and Julian Earls (10 carries for 118 yards, 2 TDs). Kelseyville’s Brayton Thomas had 48 yards on five carries.
Passing – Lower Lake’s Brody Shields went 12-for-22 for 112 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions against St. Helena. Kelseyville received touchdown passes from both of its quarterbacks against Willits. Kimo Brown was 5-for-7 for 91 yards while Deake Lyndall was 1-for-1 for 41 yards.
Receiving – Lower Lake’s Roy Percoats caught three passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. Kelseyville’s Brayton Thomas had two receptions for 67 yards and a TD while teammate Carson Stone had one catch for 41 yards and a TD.
Special teams
Keep ’em coming – Kelseyville placekicker Jorge Gonzalez went 3-for-3 on his extra-point kicks against Willits. Middletown’s Jamisen Jackson went 6-for-8 against Fort Bragg.
Punt return TD relay – When Middletown’s Ryan Halverson fumbled a punt return against Fort Bragg, teammate Tyler Galamay scooped up the loose ball and returned it for a touchdown. Unfortunately, Halverson, one of the team’s top defenders, was hurt on the play.
Nice return – Willits’ Davin Swensen returned a kickoff 51 yards to set up a Wolverines touchdown in the first quarter against Kelseyville.
Rejected – Upper Lake’s Isaac Caballero blocked a punt against Colusa.
Defense
Big number – Middletown’s Luke Mace was in on 19 tackles against Fort Bragg. Close behind was teammate Wyatt Pullman with 14. Kelseyville’s Jayden Fabisch finished with 11 total tackles, six of them solo, and a tackle for loss. Gordon Astrup and Hayden Brown each added 10 tackles, including two for loss, while Deake Lyndall had nine total tackles for an aggressive Kelseyville defense. Andrew Souza added eight more, Carson Stone six and JD Smart five. Stone and Smart both had interceptions.
Could have scored – Middletown’s Tyler Galamay returned a fumble to the Fort Bragg 1-yard-line where he purposely slid down. The Mustangs were trying to get teammate Reilley Lacy his first high school touchdown. Reilley carried the ball twice from the 1 but couldn’t get into the end zone. “He’s a great kid,” Middletown head coach Kurtis Woodard said of Lacy, a reserve lineman who has never missed a practice or weight session.
Pee wee alert – Middletown’s pee wee youth football team held Lower Lake’s high-powered offense to 25 yards of offense while beating the Trojans 7-0 Saturday in Fort Bragg to win the Mendo-Lake Empire Junior Football League championships.
Miscellaneous
No truth to the rumor … — That the Mendo-Lake Empire Junior Football League will change its name to the Middletown-Lake Empire Junior Football League after the Colts won all three titles – pee wee, junior varsity and varsity – Saturday in Fort Bragg. Talk about some serious domination that extends into the high school ranks.
Streaks – Kelseyville enters the Division 7 playoffs with a four-game winning streak while Middletown takes a three-game winning streak into the Division 5 playoffs. Middletown’s JVs have won 32 straight dating back to the 2023 season. Lower Lake finishes the season with a seven-game losing streak.
High-rent district – Tyler Galamay (1,046 yards) not only topped 1,000 rushing yards for a second straight season, but he scored his 21st, 22nd and 23rd rushing touchdowns of the season against Fort Bragg, putting him in the high-rent district among Lake County’s all-time rushing touchdown leaders. Lake County Sports has no record of any Lake County running back finishing with 1,000 rushing yards in three straight seasons, which Galamay can do next season. Teammate Johnny Finney, also a junior, is 111 yards away from 1,000.
All-County football team – The Lake County Deputy Sheriff’s Association is sponsorig the plaques and medals that will be awarded to Lake County’s top players in the near future. Stay tuned.
All-County volleyball team – The Deanna Goff family is sponsoring the award again this year. We’re deciding on a venue now and the photo shoot will take place in early December. The team will feature a MVP (or co-MVPs), a first team and a second team. Team members are determined by All-League selections as well as input from coaches and others with considerable volleyball experience. So there.
Alternate route – While Kelseyville’s game at Willits was relatively calm, the Knights were greeted by a small crowd of Willits fans and non-well-wishers while trying to leave the locker room. The Knights took an alternate route and there were no problems, according to head coach Logan Barrick.
Nice turnaround – The Kelseyville junior varsity team opened the season 0-4 and ended up 5-5, winning the North title with a 3-0 record. Upper Lake came in second at 2-1-1.
The fall five – Kelseyville’s varsity football, volleyball and girls soccer teams as well as the JV football and volleyball squads all won league championships. If the girls soccer team beats Eureka on Wednesday, you can add a section championship to that 2026 pennant haul for the Knights. Middletown’s boys cross country and JV football teams are also league winners. Of course, both the Middletown and Kelseyville varsity teams are still in the running for section championships as well.
It’s been a bit – Kelseyville’s last section title came in 1982. If Logan Barrick’s Knights can pull it off, it would mark the second year in a row that a first-year coach has won a section title, following on the heels of Middletown’s Kurtis Woodard in 2025.
Back-to-back titles? – Lake County football teams have reached the section title game in back-to-back years but have never won back-to-back titles. If Middletown pulls it off, this year in Division 5, it would be a first.
Big thanks – To stringer Rob Grant for sending me statistics, scoring and game highlights from the Lower Lake at St. Helena game. Grant has helped me several times in the past and it’s much appreciated.
Here’s hoping – We get to continue the Football Week in Review column for another month or so. That’s up to Kelseyville and Middletown at this point. Lake County Sports would like to go out with a bang.
Congrats – To the Kelseyville girls soccer team for reaching the Division 1 championship game with a dramatic 2-1 double-overtime victory over St. Bernard. Congrats also to the Clear Lake boys for reaching the Division 3 semifinals with another double-overtime win, 4-3 over Brave Christian. Levi Ewing scored the winning goal in the final seconds of the second overtime, and you can bet Lars was watching and cheering.
