MIDDLETOWN >> It was a Friday night in which the Middletown Mustangs found their way to a touchdown early — moving 63 yards in seven plays with the opening kickoff.
But maybe they should have marked their trail by leaving bread crumbs or broken twigs behind to find their way back, because after that early score Middletown never made it back to the end zone.
While they were hunting for it, Cloverdale”s Eagles were running up 25 points and beating the Mustangs by a 25-7 final at Bill Foltmer Field. By losing, Middletown bowed out of the tight race for the North Central League I championship while Cloverdale joined Fort. Bragg, a winner over front-running St. Helena, at the top.
Foltmer, unaccustomed to being demolished in games for league supremacy, said the destruction was not a matter of paying too much attention to catching St. Helena and not enough to the team at hand, Cloverdale.
“No, no, no, no,” he said. “We did not take this team lightly. We had a pretty good week of practice. They just kicked our ass. It”s like they knew what we were going to bring to the table. and they were able to stop us. They just basically exposed us.”
Cloverdale”s opening drive was of a kind that coaches love. They began it as a response to the Mustang drive, which ended Wyatt Hall”s 5-yard run for M-town”s only TD.
There was 8:50 remaining in the first quarter when the Eagles started the drive; and 10:31 remaining in the second quarter when Greg Scaramella, Cloverdale”s senior quarterback completed a 7-yard touchdown pass, the 18th play of the
drive.
Scaramella and workhorse running back Luke Bernardi combined to give the Eagles a balanced attack. Scaramella threw for two touchdowns and completed an overall eight of 16 passes for 130 yards. Bermardi, a rugged individual who plays
at outside linebacker on defense, toted the ball 31 rimes for 113 yards and one TD on a 4-yard run. Mason Meier caught two touchdown passes and added a TD run.
“Another credit to them is that they made the big play — the third and fourth downs — and got us out of whatever our offense was,” said Foltmer.
