MIDDLETOWN — A 2018 high school football season sandwiched and delayed by major wildfires ends Saturday night for the Middletown Mustangs as they meet the Salesian Price of Richmond in the North Coast Section Division V championship game at Alhambra High School in Martinez. Kickoff is 7 p.m. and the weather forecasts calls for clear and cold conditions.
Middletown (10-3) is trying to become the first Lake County team to win a sectional football title since the Mustangs last accomplished that feat in 2001.
The No. 5 seed in the original 13-team field, Middletown reached the finals with a 48-0 home victory over No. 12 seed St. Vincent in the opening round, a 29-22 victory over No. 4 seed Fort Bragg in the quarterfinals at Fort Bragg, and a 14-12 win on the road against No. 1 seed Kelseyville in the semifinals.
Salesian (8-4), the No. 2 seed, had a first-round bye before beating No. 7 St. Helena 49-28 in the quarterfinals and No. 3 Stellar Prep 31-18 in the semifinals.
This is the second time Middletown and Salesian have squared off in a sectional final. The first time came in the Division IV championship game in 2010 when the Pride rallied from a 21-7 deficit in the fourth quarter to win 28-21 in overtime. Like Saturday’s meeting, that game also took place at Alhambra High School.
Middletown is the first Lake County team to appear in back-to-back sectional championship games since Lower Lake last did it in 1988 (beating Clear Lake in overtime) and 1989 (losing to McKinleyville). A year ago in the Division V finals the Mustangs fell 28-0 to St. Patrick-St. Vincent of Vallejo, which moved up to Division IV this season.
The Mustangs are appearing in their seventh sectional final in football, all of those appearances under the leadership of 34-year coaching veteran Bill Foltmer, who brings a 3-3 finals record into Saturday’s contest.
Middletown finished 5-2 and tied for second (with Fort Bragg) in the final North Central League I standings this season. The Mustangs avenged their only two league losses with victories over Fort Bragg and Kelseyville in the playoffs.
