CLOVERDALE >> Gabe Guzman had a game for the Middletown Mustangs on Friday night in a 13-0 North Central League I road victory over the Cloverdale Eagles at Daly Field.
Guzman caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Connor Armstrong in the first quarter as Middletown (4-2 league, 4-4 overall) jumped in front 7-0, but his was stellar play on defense that made all the difference for the Mustangs, according to coach Bill Foltmer.
“The key was Guzman. He played (Marcus) Poe one on one the whole game and didn’t let him catch a pass,” Foltmer said. Poe, a 6-foot-6 wideout, is the Eagles’ top receiver.
It was only the second loss all season for Cloverdale (4-2, 7-2), which competes in the same division as Middletown in the North Coast Section playoffs.
“Big win,” Foltmer said with an eye toward the start of postseason play, which is just two weeks away.
“We’ve lost to some quality teams this season and we beat a good one tonight,” Foltmer said.
Middletown scored again in the second quarter on Coleman Drew 7-yard run to go up 13-0. Both of the Mustangs’ touchdowns came on long drives, the first one to open the game. Drew finished with 95 yards rushing.
Middletown played nearly the entire second half without quarterback Armstrong, who left the game dehydrated and not feeling well. Rob Carey took over.
Cloverdale drove the ball inside Middletown’s 5-yard line twice but came away with no points.
“We majorly bent but didn’t break,” Foltmer said of the Mustang defense.
Drew’s sack of the Cloverdale quarterback ended the game with the Eagles inside the Middletown 20.
Cloverdale beat Middletown 21-19 in the junior varsity game.
Willits 14, Lower Lake 12
At Lower Lake, the Lower Lake Trojans couldn’t convert on fourth-and-one at the Willits 7-yard line with 1:22 left in the game and the Wolverines held on for the win.
Willits (2-4, 4-5) scored only one offensive touchdown, getting the other on an interception return in the first quarter.
Lower Lake held a 12-8 halftime lead on a pair of Hokulani Wickard runs — 10 yards in the first quarter and 20 yards in the second quarter. The sophomore quarterback also completed 12 of 29 passes for 191 yards, but his one interception proved costly as the Trojans fell to 1-5 in league.
“Our defense played great but it wasn’t quite enough,” Lower Lake coach Justin Gaddy said. “It was a heartbreaker.”
