Middle Creek's defense gets the tackle in the second half.
Nov 1, 2008
APEX — Middle Creek had a big defensive second-half in holding Athens Drive to no points after halftime in an important 25-20 Tri-Eight victory. The Mustangs scored in all four quarters to balance their scoring to out-distance the Jaguars who lost their starting quarterback and had to tinker with the offense to try and get things going.
The win also sets up Middle Creek to finish off the regular season with a three game win streak if they can get by 2-8 Panther Creek at home next week. The Mustangs have four wins now and are eligible for the state playoffs, but five wins would certainly help their cause and for seeding purposes as well.
This one wasn’t easy by any means for the Mustangs as they had to battle back from a 20-7 deficit early in the second quarter as the Jaguar’s Darius Williams had his way with Athens Drive defense early on.
An outstanding opening kickoff return of 45 yards by Kent Patton would set his team up at their opponent’s 42, and Williams would only need one play to hit paydirt. He took the snap running full speed, hit a small hole in the line left of center and was gone in a cloud of dust to make it 6-0 after the extra point snap was fumbled.
The Mustangs would answer right back on a bulldozing nine-yard run up the middle from fullback Stephen Sladek. The drive was also started by a long kick off return as Tre Nesbit moved the ball 63 yards to the Jaguars 23. The extra point would be good to make it a 7-6, but afterwards Middle Creek would suffer kicking woes all night as they lost starter Matt Frongello to a concussion in the first quarter.
In finishing off a 10 play, 61-yard drive, the Jags would give the ball to lineman Steve Kotnik to plow throught the Mustang defensive line from four yards out for a 13-7 cushion.
After a few stalled drives by both teams, Athens Drive would rely on the quick-strike technique to burn the unsuspecting secondary. On second and ten from their own 38, quarterback Ross Snotherly was under duress from the hard charging defense, when he slipped a tackle, pump-faked once and then caught Darius Williams hovering near the right sideline. Williams looked as though he was shot out of a cannon as he sprinted down the sideline barely touched for the score and a comfortable lead of 20-7.
This was a turning point of sorts seeing as how it was the last time Snotherly would be behind center for the Jags as he suffered a laceration on his throwing hand and had to leave the game for good midway through the second quarter.
“It kind of handcuffs your offensive game plan and there was a lot of things we couldn’t do,” comments Athens Drive head coach Jeff Smouse. “We really didn’t control the line of srcimmage enough to stay in the I and just pound them.”
Not to be outdone, sophomore quarterback Garrett Leathem would captain his squad down the field to answer throwing three complete passes, all to junior Dexter Montague. The last one would be a 12-yard slant across the center of the field to bring the score closer at 20-13.
In the third quarter the same duo would hook up again after a long sustained drive deep into Jaguar territory. On a crucial fourth and four from the 10, Leathem was scrambling franticly as a defender was about to sack him he let the ball just float and hang over the coverage and into the awaiting hands of Montague once again. Again, no extra point, and the Mustangs were still down 20-19.
Momentum would shift yet again late in the third quarter. Athens was driving deep into the Mustang red zone, and on first and ten from the 13, new quarterback Kent Patton had seen his reciever but overthrew him and right into the arms of Middle Creek free safety Travis Lattimore who proceeded to run it back to his own 30 to advert any danger.
“We didn’t know how well he (Patton) could pass, so we just set-up a base defense and wanted to cover all the bases and didn’t want to leave anybody open,” said relieved Middle Creek head coach Sean Crocker. “I don’t know if he slipped, or what happened, but we ended up making a good play on the ball.”
The first possession of the fourth quarter for the Mustangs would be short and sweet as all they would need were three plays to pull ahead for good. Nesbit would take a hand-off at his own 31 yard line and turn it into 57-yard jaunt down to the Athens 12. Sladek would again perform one of his bullying power runs over the entire defense for the game-winning score and finishing off the comeback at 25-20.
Athens Drive would threaten twice more late in the fourth, but was constantly thwarted by penalties and a swarming Mustang defense that forced the Jags to turn it over on downs both times.
The Mustangs received a big night from sophomore quarterback Garrett Leathem with 151 yards passing and two scores. Stephen Sladek ran for a solid 95 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns. Junior linebacker Al Reames was literally everywhere make several tackles, quarterback hurries, and a sack to keep the Jaguar offense at bay.
Darius Williams paced the Athens Drive attack with 120 yards on 20 carries and a score.
Athens Drive (3-7, 3-3) finishes off their regular season with Green Hope at home. Middle Creek (4-6, 3-3) also is at home to close against Panther Creek.
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