ST. HELENA — Matt Outen passed for two touchdowns and Eric Tomko rushed for 138 yards and another score on Friday night as the Middletown Mustangs easily handled the St. Helena Saints 35-7 in a North Central League I interlock varsity football game at St. Helena.
The win sets up a NCL I North showdown next week in Fort Bragg where the Mustangs (6-1) will meet the Timberwolves (6-1). Fort Bragg beat Lower Lake 62-6 on Friday to improve to 2-0 in the North standings. Middletown is 1-0 in league play.
“We”re playing really good football going in that game,” Middletown coach Bill Foltmer said.
Middletown has won five in a row. While the team”s string of shutouts ended at three, Foltmer said he has no quarrel with the play of his defense against the Saints.
“We played pretty well except for one (pass) play,” Foltmer said. “We lost containment on the quarterback in man coverage and their guy got behind us.”
The pass play set up St. Helena”s lone score, a 2-yard run by fullback Ezequiel Valdivia in the third quarter, but all that touchdown did was cut Middletown”s lead to 28-7.
The Mustangs led 7-0 after one quarter on Tyler Owen”s 4-yard run. They picked up two more touchdowns in the second quarter, both on passes from quarterback Matt Outen to wideout Dylan Galusha on plays of 74 and 32 yards.
Tomko scored on a 3-yard run in the third quarter to make it 28-0.
The Mustangs added an insurance touchdown in the fourth quarter on Jake Davis” 1-yard run.
Middletown lost two other scoring opportunities, one in each half, on fumbles inside the St. Helena 20-yard line.
The Saints (4-3) had their two-game winning streak snapped.
“St. Helena is not a bad football team,” Foltmer said. “I think they”re getting better every week.”
All three of Outen”s completions went to Galusha for 118 yards.
