MIDDLETOWN — Coming off a loss to Clear Lake the week before, the Middletown Mustangs bounced back in a big way, smacking the Fort Bragg Timberwolves 43-7 in North Central League I varsity football action Friday night at Bill Foltmer Field.
Middletown (2-1 league, 3-3 overall) kept Fort Bragg (0-3, 1-5) winless in league play with a running attack that rolled out 297 yards and five touchdowns.
“Our offensive line had a nice night and our backs ran hard,” Middletown head coach Bill Foltmer said. “And Luke (Hoogendoorn) did a nice job of running the offense,” Foltmer added of his senior quarterback.
Middletown didn’t punt once in the game and scored on all but two possessions, one ending with a lost fumble at the Fort Bragg 4-yard-line, the Mustangs’ only turnover of the game, and another at game’s end when Middletown took a knee to run out the clock.
“We established the running game and that opened up our play-action passes,” Foltmer said. “Luke was pretty accurate tonight.”
Fort Bragg briefly took a 7-6 lead after Middletown’s Jacob Urbina scored on a 7-yard run to cap the Mustangs’ initial possession.
“It was a nice little drive they put together with short passes,” Foltmer said of the Timberwolves. “But then we took the ball and went right back down and scored.”
Elijah Diaz scored on a 30-yard run early in the second quarter and Urbina’s conversion run put Middletown ahead to stay 14-7. Later in the quarter Middletown scored on a 9-yard pass from Hoogendoorn to Caleb Sternberg for a 21-7 lead as Brody Breeden kicked the extra point.
Diaz logged his third straight 100-yard-plus rushing performance with 157 yards on 19 carries, including an 11-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to put Middletown up 28-7.
The Mustangs added to their lead in the fourth quarter on touchdown runs of 12 yards by Brandon Costlow and 7 yards by Jaime Baldovinos.
Breeden caught three passes for 62 yards from his tight end position. He added a fourth catch on defense for a Middletown interception. Sternberg also recovered a fumble while Jacob Perry had two sacks for the Mustangs.
It will be a battle of 2-1 teams next week when Middletown travels to Willits. The Wolverines were 7-0 winners Friday night in Kelseyville.
In other NCL I action Friday, Clear Lake defeated Lower Lake 43-0 while St. Helena beat Cloverdale 49-6. Clear Lake and St. Helena, both 3-0 in league play, meet next Friday in St. Helena.
Middletown’s junior varsity squad was a 2-0 forfeit winner over Fort Bragg.
