MIDDLETOWN >> Middletown tries again for its first win of the season, this time at home Friday night against the red-hot Kelseyville Knights in a North Central League I varsity football game, while Lower Lake faces a big road test in Fort Bragg.
Also under the lights tonight, the Clear Lake Cardinals host the St. Vincent Mustangs while the banged up Upper Lake Cougars, listing a bit after an 0-2 start, look to right the ship at Potter Valley.
K’ville at Middletown
Middletown (0-0, 0-2) played non-league opponents Salesian and Berean Christian tough for three quarters before losing to both small-school powers, and now they draw the Knights (1-0, 2-0), 27-21 upset winners over St. Helena last week.
“They look 10 times better than they did in the (Lake County) scrimmage and they’re coming off a big upset, so we’ll have our work cut out for us,” Middletown coach Bill Foltmer said.
The Mustangs enter play minus two-way starting lineman Henry Webb, who dislocated his kneecap in practice Wednesday and is out indefinitely.
“This kid really worked hard in the summer and in practice to make his senior season something special and I really feel bad for him,” Foltmer said. “He’ll be greatly missed.”
Middletown’s defense has allowed 88 points in its first two games while Kelseyville has scored 89.
“But they’ve also got to stop our offense and we’ve moved the ball against two pretty good teams (scoring 56 points),” Foltmer said.
“Middletown played two solid opponents and they never gave up,” Kelseyville coach Erick Larsen said. “It’s a real big game for both teams. Sometimes I feel like we’re staring down a double-barrel shotgun. We opened league against a good St. Helena team and now we have to play Middletown.”
Added Larsen, “I think it’s going to come down to whoever plays better at the line of scrimmage.”
Lower Lake at Fort Bragg
Lower Lake (1-0, 2-1) has won two straight, including a 64-22 mauling of Willits in its league opener a week ago.
“They’re the defending champions, so it’s a great opportunity for us,” Lower Lake coach Justin Gaddy said. “Fort Bragg has some real good athletes and they do such an amazing job of making adjustments in the second half.”
While the Timberwolves (1-0, 2-1) no longer have the services of quarterback Kaylor Sullivan, who passed for more than 4,000 yards as a senior last season, Gaddy believes his replacement, Lucas Triplett, is more of an all-around threat between his passing and running skills.
“I honestly think Triplett is a better quarterback,” Gaddy said. “He’s explosive, he can run. When he gets loose, watch out. He has some moves.”
St. Vincent at Clear Lake
Facing a St. Vincent (0-1, 1-2) team low in numbers this season – 14 players at last count – the Clear Lake Cardinals (0-1, 1-1) have an opportunity to post their first league win of the season.
“We just need to play four quarters of football,” Clear Lake coach Mark Cory said. “We did that last week against Fort Bragg (a 32-19 loss in a game the Cardinals led 12-6 at halftime). I feel like we need to continue to improve. They found out last week they can play with these guys. We had our opportunities but we didn’t close it out.”
Cory rates St. Vincent somewhere between last week’s opponent, Fort Bragg, and the Cardinals’ first opponent, South Fork, in terms of talent.
“Obviously they’re not Fort Bragg,” he said.
Upper Lake at Potter Valley
After back-to-back NCL III losses to Rincon Valley and Calistoga, the Upper Lake Cougars take a short trip down Highway 20 to take on a Potter Valley team that has been off since a 76-8 loss to Anderson Valley back on Sept. 2.
While the Cougars face an opponent they should be able to handle, they’ll have to do it without two key starters — running back/safety Dre Santos (sprained wrist) and defensive end Francisco Gregorio-Flores (neck strain).
Chris Fecht fills in for Santos while Sal Sanchez replaces Gregorio-Flores. Sophomore Kenny Hodge also makes his first start at wide receiver for the Cougars.
“Last year they had good size and an athletic quarterback who was their only real weapon,” Upper Lake coach Mike Smith said of the Bearcats. “We’ll need to respect their quarterback.”
The Cougars also will be without defensive coordinator Joe Ogulin, who had stomach surgery on Thursday.
“We’re wishing him all the best and we’ll miss having him on the sidelines,” Smith said.
