Winning After MidKnight
For the
Middletown High School Knights Junior Varsity Football team, the name of the
game was efficiency as the Knights, like they had been using all throughout the
pre-season went with a swift, ruthless attack when they faced the Walkersville
High School Lions on Wednesday September 7th.
That offense
would do exactly what it needed to do from the opening jump as the Knights took
a large lead early and never looked back taking down the Lions, 35-13 in what
was a severe weather shortened affair.
In the two
scrimmages that the Knights played there speedy and efficient offense was on
display prominently so for anyone who had seen film of the Knights it wouldn’t
have been a surprise or an issue that the Knights were using this type of
offense.
The problem
for other teams during the pre-season wasn’t what it was but how to stop it and
the game against the Lions was no different as even when the Lions loaded the
box in anticipation of the run, the bread and butter of Middletown’s offense,
the Lions had extreme difficulties stopping it.
The power of
the Knights offense was on display immediately in the first quarter as both of
the Knights drives in the first quarter resulted in touchdowns with the Knights
only being forced to go into third down situations twice on the two opening
drives.
The first drive
for Middletown was a glimpse of the damage that the Knights could do through
the air as Middletown freshman quarterback Reese Poffenbarger had already
completed two passes including one for a touchdown before the game was even two
minutes old, giving the Knights a 6-0 lead.
The next
drive was the drive where Middletown showed off their offensive staple, running
the ball as the Knights used sophomore running back Roland Hockenberry to slice
up the Walkersville defense on the ground and occasionally through the air as
the Knights coasted to another touchdown to make it 14-0 before the 1st
quarter had even ended.
It was a great
day for Hockenberry, as the 10th grader started off his season by
gaining 77 yards on 11 attempts with three rushing touchdowns and one reception
for 38 yards, with the reception coming on the touchdown drive that gave the
Knights the 14-point lead.
Walkersville
did not do themselves any favors as just seven seconds into the second quarter
a Walkersville pass was intercepted for Middletown by sophomore cornerback
Peyton McCracken and was taken all the way down to the Walkersville seven yard
line by McCracken giving the Knights heavenly field position.
The Knights
would then do like they had done all day and called on Hockenberry to punch it
in, which he did in one play to give the Knights a 21 point lead.
The main
point of pride for the Knights will be how efficient and quick their offense
was during the first half, a half in which the Knights scored 28 points and led
at halftime by 21.
The Knights
had the ball for 21 plays during the first half and had a time of possession
4:26 in the first half meaning that the Knights scored a touchdown somewhere
around every minute and thirty seconds during the first half.
More importantly
was that the Knights did not take plays that were for negative yards or no gain
frequently as Middletown had only three negative plays or no gains plays during
the first half with all three coming on the first drive of the season.
Hockenberry
would add his third and final touchdown with 5:28 left in the second quarter as
he would punch it in from five yards out to give the Knights a 28-0 advantage.
Walkersville would have slight success as they would score on the next drive
and recover an onside kick but not be able to do anything with it at the half
as the score stood at 28-7.
Middletown
and Walkersville would trade touchdowns in between the final minutes of the
third quarter and the early minutes of the fourth quarter and the Lions still had
a chance but then the lightning came with 5:34 left in the contest and that
would put a bow on this one as the Knights would go to 1-0 behind their
powerful offense.
And, just
like the lightning, Middletown’s offense was fast; it was loud; and if you
blinked you may have missed it.
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