{"id":990,"date":"2024-09-28T21:41:45","date_gmt":"2024-09-28T21:41:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/?p=990"},"modified":"2024-09-28T21:41:45","modified_gmt":"2024-09-28T21:41:45","slug":"mustangs-win-game-lose-hawkins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/?p=990","title":{"rendered":"Mustangs win game, lose Hawkins"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Middletown builds 20-0 lead, then holds off Clear Lake for 34-28 victory<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lake County Sports on Facebook<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LAKEPORT >> Discombobulated is a word you might not often hear, but Middletown High School varsity football head coach Bill Foltmer invoked it to describe the state of the Mustangs late in the second quarter of their 34-28 victory Friday night when junior quarterback\/wide receiver Jon Hawkins left the Mustangs\u2019 road game against the Clear Lake Cardinals with a serious wrist injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Middletown (1-1 league, 2-2 overall) had a 20-0 lead at the time and appeared headed for a big night when Hawkins became the second star player to go down for the Mustangs this season \u2013 junior quarterback Blake Costlow was lost to a broken foot three weeks ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If that wasn\u2019t devastating enough for the Mustangs and their 40-year veteran coach, Foltmer said Hawkins was blocking on a running play and engaged with a Clear Lake player when one of his own teammates collided with him, jamming the wrist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were completely discombobulated,\u201d Foltmer said of the Mustangs\u2019 reaction to Hawkins\u2019 injury with 3:08 left in the first half. \u201cWe had guys out of position all over, we had no pass rush \u2026 he (Clear Lake quarterback AJ Bruch) had all the team he wanted to pass back there. I\u2019ve never had a season like this. I not only lose a top player, I lose two top players.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The injury, which Foltmer said is almost assuredly season ending, was diagnosed as a broken growth plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such an unfortunate thing,\u201d Foltmer said. \u201cJon is not only a top receiver and a good blocker, but he\u2019s our kicker, punter and a lockdown corner. When you have a player who can cover people like that on defense, you can actually risk blitzing a linebacker. Besides that, he\u2019s also a good kid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clear Lake head coach Mark Cory, no stranger to injuries to top players \u2013 he lost starting quarterback Jake Soderquist late in the Cardinals\u2019 run to a league co-championship last season \u2013 said he also hated to see Hawkins go down, but his departure from the field certainly opened the door for Clear Lake (0-2, 0-4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe way game started (20-0), it looked like a blowout if Hawkins stays in the game,\u201d Foltmer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Middletown was running the ball at will until Hawkins\u2019 injury, and even after his unfortunate exit the Mustangs continue to pound it at the Cardinals. They finished the game with 411 rushing yards \u2013 218 yards on 21 carries by junior Trenton Griffith, plus three touchdowns; 151 yards on 21 carries by Tyler Galamay, with one TD; and 42 yards on five carries by Hayden Xavier, with one TD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t say enough about my running backs,\u201d Foltmer said. \u201cTrenton got a lot of those yards after the first hit. Galamay and Xavier also ran the ball hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Griffith scored on a 30-yard inside reverse with 7:50 left in the first quarter to put the Mustangs on the board, and Xavier\u2019s 34-yard touchdown run with 4:43 remaining made it a 14-0 game. Middletown\u2019s third possession of the game ended with yet another Griffith score, this time on a 7-yard run that made it 20-0 with 9:16 left in the first half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Middletown took over on downs after Clear Lake punched the ball down to the Mustangs\u2019 25-yard line. Disaster struck a couple of plays later with the Mustangs again on the move, Hawkins hitting the turf in great pain and players immediately signaling for help from medical personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The confusion caused by Hawkins\u2019 injury, with Middletown shuffling players around the field, sparked Clear Lake\u2019s comeback. After a Middletown punt and with time running out, Bruch drove his team down the field \u2013 63 yards in the final 1:19 \u2013 finally connecting with Adrian Truby on a 25-yard touchdown with nine seconds to go. The extra-point kick made it 20-7, and Clear Lake had some momentum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen that happened the game just flipped,\u201d Cory said of the combination of Hawkins\u2019 injury and the Cardinals immediately taking advantage to score their first points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a long run by Galamay was wiped out by a penalty to open the third quarter, the Mustangs ended up punting and Jace Beard returned the ball 50 yards to the Middletown 10 where Bruch scrambled away from pressure and scored on a 10-yard run to close the gap to 20-14 with 8:41 to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Middletown answered with Griffith\u2019s third touchdown run of the night as he broke loose on a fourth-and-six play, a 46-yard play with 4:13 to go that made it 26-14. With Hawkins unavailable to attempt the extra-point kick, the Mustangs went for two and the run was stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clear Lake cut the deficit to 26-21 on its next possession, driving 65 yards for a touchdown as Bruch hooked up with Zane McAuley on a fourth-and-goal play from the 6-yard line. Earlier in the drive a touchdown pass to McAuley was called back on a motion penalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Middletown embarked on a 77-yard drive for its final score, Galamay\u2019s 26-yard run with 10:12 to go and his ensuing two-point conversion run pushing the Mustangs\u2019 lead to 34-21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But right back came the Cardinals with a 60-yard march capped by a 27-yard Bruch run to make it 34-28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clear Lake\u2019s defense forced a punt and the Cardinals were on the move for a game-tying touchdown until Bruch lost a fumble at the Middletown 31, and the Mustangs recovered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was probably the key point of the game,\u201d Foltmer said of the lost fumble forced by Xavier and recovered by Galamay. \u201cThey had momentum, we couldn\u2019t stop them on defense \u2026 we were barely holding on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were going to score there if we don\u2019t turn it over,\u201d Cory said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if we win the game, but we were definitely going to score.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foltmer concurred with Cory\u2019s assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, they were (going to score),\u201d Foltmer said. \u201cYou could just feel it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With only 2:20 left, the Mustangs were able to run some precious time off the clock before punting the ball back to Clear Lake, including a huge first-down run by Griffith. The Cardinals took over at their own 23 with 46 seconds remaining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clear Lake just missed completing a pass near midfield with 24 seconds left, the ball going off the hands of a receiver, and the Cardinals\u2019 final gasp came with 14 seconds left, an incomplete pass on fourth down giving the ball back to Middletown, which took a knee to run out the final six seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cory said Hawkins\u2019 injury most certainly was the catalyst for Clear Lake\u2019s resurgence, but that\u2019s just football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c20-0 puts you in a spot where there\u2019s not a lot of margin for error,\u201d Cory said. \u201cDown the stretch we needed to score every time we had the ball. We almost did it. It was a battle, but it also was a weird game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Added Cory, \u201cWe almost threw on every down in the second half and they (Mustangs) didn\u2019t throw the ball once all night (with freshman Colton Karp at quarterback).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bruch went 18-for-41 for 214 yards, the two TDs and no interceptions. He also ended up being Clear Lake\u2019s top rusher with 69 yards and the two scrambling scores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey weren\u2019t designed plays,\u201d Cory said of Bruch\u2019s scrambles. \u201cHe just did a good job getting away from their pressure and making something happen. Truby gave him a nice block on one of those touchdowns.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While both coaches were happy with their team\u2019s execution on offense, the play of the two defenses left a lot to be desired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA defensive masterpiece it wasn\u2019t,\u201d Cory said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Added Foltmer, \u201cThat\u2019s probably the worst one of my defenses has ever played and we still came out with a win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe just need to be better,\u201d Cory said of the overall Clear Lake effort. \u201cWe did get better, we competed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Middletown\u2019s junior varsity team improved to 2-0 and 4-0 with a 34-7 win<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Game notes:<\/strong> Middletown snapped a three-game losing streak to Clear Lake in a rivalry that has produced three tight finishes in the last four years \u2026 The Mustangs face a difficult road contest next Friday in Willits (3-0, 4-1) while the Cardinals head to the Mendocino County coast to play Fort Bragg (1-2, 2-3) \u2026 The win was the 311th<\/sup> of Foltmer\u2019s career and his 292nd<\/sup> as Middletown\u2019s head coach \u2026 These two teams shared the NCL I championship a year ago \u2026 Both teams return home Oct. 11 \u2013 Middletown against St. Helena and Clear Lake against Lower Lake.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Middletown builds 20-0 lead, then holds off Clear Lake for 34-28 victory Lake County Sports on Facebook LAKEPORT >> Discombobulated is a word you might not often hear, but Middletown High School varsity football head coach Bill Foltmer invoked it to describe the state of the Mustangs late in the second quarter of their 34-28 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":991,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,26,19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/990"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=990"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":992,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/990\/revisions\/992"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}