LOWER LAKE — For the first 30 seconds on Friday night, it was reminiscent of the Middletown Mustangs” season opener, a 32-6 loss to Salesian. Like Salesian”s Jahvid Best, Lower Lake fullback Mike Deakins, the county”s leading rusher, broke loose and scored from 90 yards out on the Trojans” first play from scrimmage.
But all similarities ended right there. While Best score three more TDs against the Mustangs, Deakins never even touched the ball again. He was knocked out on Lower Lake”s next series.
And what happened after that, well, it would be best described as utter and complete destruction of Lower Lower High School property — its football team.
“It was our best offensive performance of the year,” was Middletown coach Bill Foltmer”s assessment of the devastation the Mustangs wrought on hapless Lower Lake in a 46-7 romp.
“I thought it was a real solid game, especially offensively,” Foltmer added, after the Mustangs captured their North Central League I North opener and pushed a winning streak to five games. Lower Lake fell to 1-5.
One thing for certain, Foltmer couldn”t complain about his charges not finishing drives as he had earlier. Middletown, in fact, scored on seven of their first eight offensive series. The Mustangs mercilessly bulldozed their way to successive touchdowns drives of 73 yards in seven plays, 63 yards on six plays, 40 yards on five plays, 90 yards on three plays, 15 yards on three plays (after an interception), 51 yards on six plays and 18 yards on six plays (after blocked punt).The Mustangs surmassed 349 offensive yards in the first half while rolling to a 33-7 lead.
“How could you not be happy with that? From both sides of the football,” said an uncharacteristically happy Foltmer. “We ran, we passed, we mixed up our receivers. Everybody was involved.”
Indeed they were as Foltmer used a bevy of running backs — except for Zack Davis — to churn up Gordon Sadler Field and dim Lower Lake”s homecoming. Individually, the highlights of the scoring onslaught were the seventh and eighth TDs of the year for Ryan Peterson, the county”s leading scorer and six completions in nine passing attempts for 157 yards and a touchdown for county-leading passer Jake Strickler, who rested his arm in the second half.
Jake Senseney, so far not a household name, for the Mustangs also scored twice for Middletown. Thomas Sheffer, who dominated the first quarter with six carries for 74 yards, scored the first M”town TD. Brandon Breedon caught a 20-yard scoring pass from Strickler and Mason Giovannoni scored Middletown”s final tally in the third quarter after Foltmer, as an act of kindness, pulled his regulars.
The most unusual of Middletown”s seven touchdowns was its 51-yard drive with the second-half kickoff. The drive showcased Peterson, who carried on all six plays, scoring from the one.
After Deakins” eye-opening and game-opening run, there was virtually nothing for the home crowd to cheer about. The highlight film would be limited to the three of seven blocked PAT tries of Middletown placekicker Travis Taylor.
The Trojans” only first down of the second half came with 2:40 remaining in the game.
For a second straight week, Davis played only on defense and has yet to test the achilles heel injury suffered a year ago in a non-playing situation. He made several tackles and was in on the play that knocked Deakins out of the game when he stood him up from his linebacker edition just in time for the Trojan ballcarrier he was attempting to block for to run up his back.
Lower Lake coach Joe Marinello said he pulled Deakins because of “shortness of breath.”
Davis, meanwhile, admitted he is “getting impatient.”
“But the coach has the right idea,” he said. “I”m just glad to be back. Maybe next week.”
Said Foltmer, “It got to the point of the game where it would have been almost like been putting in the first team kind of a thing. I would have liked to and I should have done it earlier.”
