MIDDLETOWN — If what Middletown accomplished Friday night against Lower Lake at Bill Foltmer Field wasn”t the peak of perfection, well, it was definitely well up there. The Mustangs scored touchdowns on each of their eight offensive series en route to a 55-12 victory over the Trojans in the North Central League I opener for both teams.
They did it behind the running of a back whose name sounds more like a sleek and powerful race car, Austin Benson. Get used to that name, because it”s very likely to become more and more prominent as this season unfolds. Benson scored three of the eight Mustang TDs on runs of 66, 9 and 4 yards and amassed 189 yards on 10 carries as Middletown won its third straight and improved its overall record to 3-1.
The 6-foot, 180-pound Benson”s season so far — seven TDs in the last two games before Friday night — is comparable to that of David Pike, who set a bevy of Middletown scoring records in 2010. Benson has 10 TDs so far this season (nine rushing, one receiving).
Benson”s sudden emergence is not all that surprising to Foltmer.
“As a sophomore he had a good year,” Foltmer said of Benson who was brought up from the JVs late lat season. “Now he”s a little bit bigger and stronger. He”s a very good back. I knew he was going to be better but, yes, I expected him to have a good year.”
It could be argued that a romp over Lower Lake, 0-4 and outscored 189-32, as a sounding board is more like plywood compared to what lies ahead for the Mustangs. But Foltmer is ready to make that argument.
“I thought offensively and defensivley we played well,” said the Mustang coach. “We scored on every drive. No matter who you”re playing, if you move the ball on every drive you gotta be happy.”
Suffice it to say the Mustangs opened their league season in grand style. Indeed, they would have racked up 10 scores if two TDS hadn”t been negated by penalties when quarterback Ben Pike — David”s younger brother — was flagged for throwing erstwhile scoring completions beyond the line of scrimmage.
The Mustangs wasted no time in establishing superiority, as if there was any doubt, by taking a 7-0 lead a scant 90 seconds into the game when a Trojan punt from their 16 went out of bounds at the 21. It took just two plays — a 13-yard run by Benson and an 8-yard scoring run by Tyler Drew.
The opening quarter was the only time the Trojans made a game of it, mounting a clock-eating 16-play drive from their own 20 to the M”town 12 where they ran out of downs — and out of gas.
What happened next was almost predictable. In just two more plays the Mustangs struck again. Benson put his signature on this game in those plays, running for 22 yards to the 34 and, on the next play sweeping right and outrunning the Trojans for the 66 yards to paydirt to mount a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter Benson added his second and third touchdowns to cap drives from near midfield.
The first of two TDs by freshman sensation Javier Otero, playing in his second varsity game, made it 35-0 at the half.
Pike ran for 11 to consumate a Mustang scoring drive off the second-half kickoff and Osvaldo Rodriguez scored from the 5 one play after a muffed center snap on yet another punt attempt later in the period. Otero scored from the 8 in the final period to wrap up the night.
The Mustangs figure to be more realistically tested next Friday night when they host title contender Willits (1-0, 3-1) on their home turf.
“Yeah, they”re one of the teams you have to beat to win the champinship,” Foltmer said.
