MIDDLETOWN — One year later, it”s the same deal for the Kelseyville Knights and Middletown Mustangs, both 3-0 in the North Central League I North standings going into tonight”s pivotal regular-season finale at Middletown High School.
The winner advances to the North Coast Section Class A football playoffs as the North champion. The loser can apply for an at-large berth although Kelseyville (6-3 overall) might have a tougher time making the field whereas Middletown (8-1) would only have two losses.
“We just need to win,” Middletown coach Bill Foltmer said. “That way we can go into that meeting (on Sunday) and not have to worry about it. We”ll be in.”
Foltmer also knows that the Knights are hoping for the exact same thing. “They win, they”re in,” Foltmer said.
One year ago in Kelseyville, the Knights (then Indians) beat Middletown 14-12 to clinch the championship. Both teams moved on to the playoffs and lost in the first round. The difference a year ago came to extra points as each school scored two touchdowns. Kelseyville converted one of its two-point conversions and Middletown went 0-for-2. The Mustangs also misfired on a 27-yard field goal.
“We didn”t take advantage of our opportunities and they did,” Foltmer said. “In a game like that, little things make the difference.”
Kelseyville enters tonight”s game with an offense every bit as potent as the one it featured last season when running back Kyle Poloni was on his way to winning a Lake County rushing title. Poloni has missed most of this season with a bulging disc in his back but the Knights haven”t missed a beat largely because of three players — quarterback Tony Sekona, running back Tanner Olsen and tight end Jared Templeton.
Sekona, who transferred to Kelseyville later in the summer, has passed for 908 yards and eight TDs and rushed for 447 yards and 8 TDs. He”s been used as quarterback and fullback, while Olsen, the team”s leading rusher with 559 yards and seven TDs, has flip-flopped with Sekona at quarterback.
And then there”s Templeton, the Knights” top pass-catcher with 23 catches for 577 yards and five TDs, including a handful of acrobatic receptions worthy of making the ESPN highlight reel.
“Olsen”s just as good (as Poloni),” Foltmer said. “They”re very similar runners. He can get outside and break one almost any time.
“Sekona is a power-type runner. He runs hard and is big and strong. We need to tackle well and rally to the ball,” Foltmer added.
What will make the difference this year?
“You can throw out all the comparative scores,” Foltmer said. “It all boils down to who plays better Thursday night. Last year they did.”
Asked to compare his 8-1 club of this year and the 9-0 Mustangs of last year going into the Kelseyville game, Foltmer said it was no contest.
“We”re playing our best football right now,” Foltmer said. “Last year it didn”t feel like we were playing our best football. The work ethic on this team is completely different from last year”s.
“No matter what happens (against Kelseyville) I”m proud of these kids,” Foltmer added. “We”ve had a good week in practice, their preparation has been excellent and they”ve had a real good attitude all week. Our kids are ready.”
“We”ve done what we feel like is all we can,” Kelseyville head coach Stan Weiper said of the Kelseyville coaching staff”s preparation for the game. “Now it”s up to the kids and I”m sure Bill feels the same way.”
Kelseyville enters tonight”s game healthy and ready to go and despite some early season stumbles, Weiper said the Knights are exactly where they wanted to be on the final week of the regular season — with something left to play for.
“A lot of people aren”t here and would like to be,” Weiper said. “We”re playing in the final week of the season for all the marbles.”
Weiper said the Mustangs might have a slight advantage coming into tonight”s game for the same reason the Knights had the same advantage a year ago.
“I think we had a slight edge emotionally last year,” Weiper said. “We were coming on strong and they had that streak (nine straight wins), which had to be a distraction. I think they”re in a better position this time, they seem to be playing very well. I think we”re in pretty good shape, too.”
Weiper says Kelseyville needs a win to reach the playoffs.
“If we don”t win, I don”t think we”re in,” Weiper said of the upcoming Class A tournament. “We”d be 6-4 and I don”t think that”s going to cut it, not this year. You add up all the numbers and the (at-large spots) aren”t available.”
In other games on Week 10, the final week of the 2006 regular season, the Lower Lake Trojans (1-8) close things out Friday night in Willits against the Wolverines (6-3), and on Saturday it”s the Upper Lake Cougars home to play the Clear Lake Cardinals in a battle of teams with identical NCL I South and overall records 2-1 and 5-4.
Clear Lake at Upper Lake
If nothing else, both teams want this game on a couple of counts since a win would give either school a winning league record and a winning overall record. And there”s also a chance that the victor could end up with a share of the South championship depending on how St. Helena (3-0, 6-3) fares Friday night at home against St. Vincent (1-2, 2-7).
Can either team reach the Class A playoffs as an at-large team? Probably not based on the list of teams who are likely to apply on Sunday, but stranger things have happened at at-large and seeding meetings. One thing is for sure and that”s the loser will have no chance.
“After starting 1-3, winning five of the last six would be outstanding,” Clear Lake coach Glenn “Milo” Meyer said. “I never would have guessed it the way we started out. We had a tough three-game stretch against Middletown, Willits and Fort Bragg.”
“We”re playing well but so are they,” Upper Lake coach Craig Kinser said. “It”s a mirrored situation … both teams started off slow and now we”re hitting our stride.”
Upper Lake hasn”t had a winning record league or overall — since 1999 and the Cougars can end that streak with a win on Saturday. A victory would also give Upper Lake its first win over Clear Lake since the 2000 season.
“It”s a big game for our kids,” Kinser said. “We”re going to have some fun.”
The game brings together two players who are on quite a roll of late. One is Clear Lake quarterback Nathan Velez, who has rushed for seven touchdowns and passed for another three in the last three weeks. The other is Upper Lake wide receiver Jacob Widener, who enters play as the county”s top receiver with 39 catches for 679 yards and six TDs. In his last three games, he has 13 receptions for 313 yards and four TDs.
