Week 11 games
North Coast Section playoffs
Friday night
Middletown 55, Emery 0
St. Helena 47, Kelseyville 20
Statistical leaders
Rushing — Kelseyville”s Robert McLean gained 148 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown in a 47-20 first-round playoff loss to St. Helena. Backfield mate Kevin Duty closed out his career with 138 yards on 13 carries and two TDs against the Saints. Middletown”s backfield combo of Austin Benson and Coleman Drew, a promoted junior varsity player participating in his first varsity game, each topped 100 yards in Middletown”s first-round playoff win over Emery. Benson had 132 yards on 10 carries and a TD while Drew finished with 116 yards on 14 carries and two TDs.
Passing — Middletown”s Josiah Amos connected on 10 of 13 passes for 138 yards and three touchdowns.
Receiving — Middletown”s Anthonie Guzman caught six passes for 64 yards and two touchdowns.
Highlights
Special teams — Middletown placekicker Almon Lichtendahl converted his first seven extra-point kicks out of eight total tries against Emery.
Defense — The Middletown defense forced four turnovers and had a sack while logging its fifth shutout of the season. Kelseyville”s Robert McLean returned an interception 25 yards and had seven tackles and an assist against St. Helena.
Division V semifinal — Middletown (10-1) hosts Salesian (6-5) in the North Coast Section Division V semifinals on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Bill Foltmer Field in Middletown. The victor draws the winner of the other Friday semifinal between Valley Christian and Ferndale in the Division V championship game the weekend of Nov. 29-30.
County rushing title — Kelseyville”s Kevin Duty closes out his season with 1,615 rushing yards. Middletown”s Austin Benson, who has at least one more game to add to his total, is close behind with 1,544.
Speaking of Duty — His season totals are 1,615 rushing yards, 27 rushing TDs and 206 points second. The single-season points total ranks him second in Lake County history.
You”re up, you”re down, you”re out — Calistoga won its first eight games of the season before being upset 27-14 by St. Vincent in the final game of the regular season. Hoping to rebound in the opening round of the Division V playoffs, the Wildcats didn”t come close, falling 50-28 to Ferndale.
Streaks — Middletown has won 10 in a row (actually 11, but there”s that forfeit thing).
Outmatched, outclassed — The poor Emery Spartans, who trailed 42-0 at halftime against Middletown. And it could have been much, much worse.
Fall sports 2013 — All that”s left is Middletown football and a bunch of cross country runners hoping to earn a berth in the CIF State Championships this Saturday at the North Coast Section Championships in Hayward.
Winter sports 2013 — Warming up at a gymnasium near you.
20th annual Record-Bee Hoop Classic — Takes place Dec. 19-21 at Clear Lake High School in Lakeport.
Soccer kudos — To the Middletown girls” soccer team on another fine season. The Mustangs finished 20-3 and reached the Division III section championship game for a second straight year led by four-time North Central League I MVP Hannah Diaz.
If the 49ers had Alex Smith at QB this year … — They”d still be 6-4.
A sports truism — You learn more about people after a loss than after a victory.
Hope he can play left field — The Giants inked pitcher Tim Hudson to a two-year deal Monday. On the bright side, at least it”s not a seven-year Barry Zito contract.
I guess I shouldn”t be surprised — A Facebook poster on the Record-Bee site wanted to know what sport I was talking about when I referred to the Salesian vs. Middletown game at Bill Foltmer Field.
Great choice — Lower Lake High School varsity boys” basketball coach Tim Biasotti won the Hero of the Year Award at the Stars of Lake County event on Saturday. Biasotti”s first season as coach was seriously put to the test when the Trojans” top player, Jesse Meldrum, committed suicide on Super Bowl weekend.
Veteran? — For the record, I never served in the military although I have paddled a canoe down the Russian River many times.
And that”s a career — UC Davis senior Sarah Sumpter finished 30th out of the 225 runners who completed the 6-kilometer course on Friday at the NCAA Division I Cross Country West Regional at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento. She celebrated on Sunday by running 20 miles. That”s considered fun … for her.
Rematch of week one — Middletown beat Salesian 21-14 in week one of the 2013 season only to lose those that victory by forfeit. It seems only fitting that the two teams meet again.
Kudos — To photographers Bob Minenna and Trett Bishop for attending the Middletown-Sonoma Academy girls” soccer championship game Saturday in Rohnert Park and sharing their photos with the Record-Bee.
