MIDDLETOWN — The second season is easily differentiated from the first. If you lose, you leave. Simple, straightforward and cruel at times are the North Coast Section playoffs, of which the Division IV version kicks off tonight at 7 p.m. at Middletown High School where the Mustangs (9-1) host Harker School (7-4) of San Jose in a first-round game.
It”s one of six first-round games this weekend and one of three tonight. Also in action tonight are the Clear Lake Cardinals (6-4), who travel to Vallejo to take on St. Patrick-St. Vincent (7-3) at 7 p.m.
The stakes couldn”t be any higher in that Middletown and Clear Lake won”t be playing in the quarterfinals next weekend unless they win tonight.
How”s that for motivation?
Middletown High School veteran coach Bill Foltmer is leading the Mustangs into the postseason for the 16th time in his 25-year career. Clear Lake rookie coach Schad Schweitzer is making his first appearance at the big dance. Of the 14 teams going into the Division IV playoffs, only one will still be dancing in four weeks time, perhaps all the way to the CIF State finals the weekend of Dec. 18-19.
Harker School (7-4) at Middletown (9-1)
The Middletown Mustangs shoot for a 10th straight victory and standing in their way is a team they”ll be facing for the first time in school history. If there”s a concern, it”s about the health of junior fullback Jake Davis, who sustained an injury to his right hand (where the pinky finger meets the hand) Monday in practice while catching a pass.
“The ball hit his finger weird,” Foltmer said. “He”s wearing a cast that goes halfway up his forearm, so we”ll pad it up. He”s been medically cleared to play and he”ll start.”
How much — if any — the injury will affect Davis” ability to hold onto the football remains to be seen.
“If he can”t go or hold onto the football, we have other options,” Foltmer said. “If we get a big lead, we”ll get him out of there quick. Even if he can”t go on offense, the worst case scenario is he”ll be fine to play defense.”
Davis practiced with the padded cast on Thursday and appeared to be fine.
“He didn”t fumble the ball,” Foltmer said.
Harker School is all about its quarterback when on offense, according to Foltmer.
“The key to them is the quarterback. He”s a scatback type ? he rolls out and scrambles very well,” Foltmer said. “Once he starts running around, teams have a tendency to leave his receivers open and he throws on the run well.”
On defense, the Eagles are vulnerable to a good running attack, according to Foltmer, which should play into one of the Mustangs” strengths, especially if Davis is able to function at a high level.
Davis (796 yards, 19 TDs) is the catalyst of a Middletown offense that is, well, offensive in the best sense possible. Besides Davis, there”s running back Max Dixon (885 yards, 9 TDs) complimenting a passing game featuring quarterback Kyle Harmyk”s 1,442 yards and 18 TDs. Harmyk”s yardage total ranks him eighth on the all-time Lake County list for a single season and third among Middletown quarterbacks.
The weather forecast might also help Middletown as rain is predicted.
“If it rains, I don”t think it hurts us,” Foltmer said.
Middletown players have taken a low-key approach to their playoff opener the past week in practice, according to Foltmer.
“We”ve been kind of blaise in practice this week,” Foltmer said.
So is that a good sign or a bad one?
“I”ve had teams that were loose going into the playoffs and teams that weren”t,” Foltmer said. “You don”t know until Friday night.”
Clear Lake (6-4) at St. Patrick (7-3)
“We”ve probably had the best week of practice this year,” Schweitzer said following the Cardinals” practice — perhaps their final one — on Thursday. “I think the kids are charged up and excited to have this opportunity to be in the playoffs.”
Clear Lake caught a favorable break this year when the section decided to expand the Division IV field from its previous eight teams to its current 14. Regardless of the circumstances that got the Cardinals into postseason play, they”re in now and they face a St. Patrick-St. Vincent team out of a rough-and-tumble Bay Shore Athletic League that is also home to the No. 1 seed in this year”s field, St. Mary”s (8-2) of Berkeley.
“They run the veer and they run it quite well,” Schweitzer said of St. Patrick-St. Vincent. “They also have tall receivers and they throw it up top a lot and hope for a home run. They put a lot on their receivers with their height to jump up and catch it.”
Defending the pass has been a problem for Clear Lake this season and Schweitzer said the team has “put a lot of work into the secondary” this week.
“We”ve been watching a lot of film,” Schweitzer said. “They sent us two films, one of their losses and one of their wins. We”ve studied them a lot.”
Schweitzer said the Cardinals need to play to a level they haven”t played at this season — and least not for four straight quarters — to come away with a win tonight and advance to the quarterfinals next weekend.
“We have to play to a level that would beat Middletown, beat Fort Bragg,” Schweitzer said. “This would be the perfect time. I think they have it in them.”
With rain in the forecast, perhaps heavy at times, field conditions may not be ideal and if that”s the case, Schweitzer said the Cardinals” chances might improve slightly.
“I think it would favor us,” Schweitzer said.
Clear Lake”s offense isn”t much of a secret. Senior running back Kevin Burt is the team”s leading rusher with 1,435 yards and 18 TDs and senior fullback Ryan Lunas has 902 yards and seven TDs. The Cardinals also have a mobile quarterback in senior Ryan Richardson (351 rushing yards, nine TDs and 415 passing yards, 5 TDs).
Burt is 202 yards away from becoming Clear Lake”s all-time rushing leader.
The Clear Lake-St. Patrick/St. Vincent winner will face the winner of a Saturday first-round game between Salesian (9-1) and Willits (3-7) next week in the quarterfinals. The Middletown-Harker School winner plays the winner of a Saturday first-round game between Cloverdale (9-1) and Valley Christian (6-5).
