Dugger, Defense Excel as Hall Shocks Middletown

The most destructive weapon in Middletown’s athletic arsenal is the big play.

These potential game-breakers happen routinely on kick returns. They happen when one of the Blue Dragons’ swift running backs breaks through the first line of defense. They can even happen on defense.

Middletown’s game-breaking capabilities led to some gaudy early season statistics and four consecutive victories, but on Saturday the big-play guy was wearing Hall blue.

Versatile Ian Dugger scored three touchdowns, a pair of two-point conversions and added a late interception to seal a 36-26 victory over the Blue Dragons in a CCC interdivisional clash at Chalmers Stadium.

Dugger saw his first action as a feature runner for the Warriors (4-1) after working almost exclusively as a receiver the first four weeks.

With Middletown leading 13-0 late in the second quarter, he went 16 yards around the right side after taking a pitch from quarterback Zach Dobbins.

The Blue Dragons (4-1) took their advantage into halftime with the knowledge that they would be receiving the second-half kickoff. Well, sort of. Josh Wheeler angled a short kick toward the sideline where Denver Sproul recovered a carom at the Hall 47.

Six plays later, Dugger snared a 17-yard aerial from Dobbins. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior scored two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter as Hall extended the lead to 36-20. Although Warriors foes are keying on Dugger, coach Frank Robinson III found another way to get the football in his hands.

“We know we have to get him the ball,” Robinson said. “I have a great staff. We came up with some different ways of getting him the ball and it obviously worked out to our advantage.”

Dugger rushed for a team high 96 yards, six more than fullback Jesse Maltz, who had a touchdown and a two-point conversion. He also caught four passes for 45 yards and ran back three kicks for 21 more.

“He’s an athlete so he can go just about anywhere and he’ll make something happen,” Robinson said. “He had that great option play, makes awesome reads on blocks and makes people miss.”

Middletown came into the game averaging over 48 points per game, second only to South-West Conference powerhouse Masuk, but managed just two offensive touchdowns, one after Hall’s win was relatively secure.

“It’s disappointing,” said Middletown coach Sal Morello, architect of the potent Cromwell program before joining the Dragons last year. “I give Hall credit. They beat us up. They beat us at all three phases of the game, but I’m more upset that we didn’t play with the urgency that we need to play with.

“We had the lead. Give them credit for coming back.”

By holding the big plays to a minimum, the Hall defense gained the upper hand. In the third quarter when the pendulum swung Hall’s way, the defense allowed Middletown no first downs and only one yard from scrimmage.

“We tackled better today than we have in the past and we have to keep getting better at that,” Robinson said. “There are so many good teams and Middletown has many, many threats.

“We were able to make some adjustments at halftime. Steve Markie, the defensive coordinator, did a great job of understanding what they were trying to do. We changed the defensive backfield a little bit because when (Middletown quarterback Devon Carillo) gets into the open field, he’s gone.

“We held their offense to one big play (57-yard TD run by Jha’kur West). I think that’s a success.”

Middle linebacker Christian Bonilla, tackles Cole Souza and Keye Frank and end Zach Duzan were particularly active among the front seven. Adam Glynn played both the run and pass effectively from his cornerback slot.

“When you have those linemen and linebackers making plays, the [defensive backs] can do what they’re supposed to do,” Robinson said.

The momentum swing can be traced to Wheeler’s onside kick. Robinson was concerned after a drive at the very end of the second quarter penetrated the red zone but came up empty from the 14.

“They have four guys up, not five like most teams,” Robinson said. “We were just lucky enough. It bounced off a kid’s leg. It was one of those things where we said we’ll take the chance to see if we could get the momentum back.”

When the Warriors’ second straight conversion kick failed, they still trailed 13-12 when what looked like an erroneous official’s decision threatened to reverse the momentum. Quarterback George Lund was in his throwing motion when he was blindsided but it was ruled a fumble. Middletown tackle Sam Rivera scooped it up and rumbled 72 yards to extend the Dragons’ lead to 20-12.

“That could have broken their back but it didn’t,” Morello said.

Late in the quarter, Hall embarked on an 86-yard, 15-play sojourn capped by Maltz’s one-yard plunge on third down. A 10-yard run by Christian Bohn on fourth-and-5 at the Middletown 14 kept the drive alive.

Eschewing the conversion kick for an attempt to tie, Robinson called for his double-wing formation and Dugger barged in to knot the game with 1:49 left in the quarter.

Middletown’s faulty snap in punt formation handed Hall the ball at the Dragons’ 32 on the second play of the fourth quarter. Dugger broke into the secondary and did his best Barry Sanders impersonation with some slick horizontal sidesteps that enabled him to score. He added the two points once again.

A Dragons penalty – they committed 13 for 94 yards – stifled their second empty possession of the fourth quarter and Hall put it away.

A Dobbins keeper for 28 yards was the mainstay of a seven-play, 57-yard excursion that ended with Dugger’s six-yard scamper. Maltz punched the conversion across for a 16-point lead with under four minutes remaining.

The scope of the win, Robinson noted, provides a huge lift as the Warriors move forward.

“We knew Middletown was great and they still are great,” he said. “They might just win out.”

Hall hosts Simsbury Saturday.

 

Hall 36, Middletown 26

Middletown (4-1) 7 6   7   6 – 26

Hall              (4-1) 0 6 14 16 – 36

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter

M – O’brian Sinclair recovered blocked kick in end zone (Sinclair kick), 3:14

Second Quarter

M – Jha’kur West 57 run (kick failed), 8:40

H – Ian Dugger 16 run (kick failed), 2:23

Third Quarter

H – Dugger 17 pass from Zach Dobbins (kick failed), 9:21

M – Sam Rivera 72 fumble return (Sinclair kick), 6:09

H – Jesse Maltz 1 run (Dugger run), 1:49

Fourth Quarter

H – Dugger 32 run (Dugger run), 11:39

H – Dugger 6 run (Maltz run), 3:58

M – West 2 run (run failed), 2:22

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Middletown: Jha’kur West 12-118, Devon Carillo 15-89, Darius Swain 3-15, Dario Highsmith 2-(-23). Hall: Ian Dugger 12-96, Jesse Maltz 9-90, Christian Bohn 14-45, Zach Dobbins 5-51, George Lund 3-(-3.

PASSING – Middletown: D. Carillo 9-19-1, 64 yds. Hall: Lund 6-23-0, 89 yds.; Dobbins 8-18-1, 68 yds.

RECEIVING – Middletown: Dejavon Green 3-37, Otto Marcello 3-16, O’brian Sinclair 2-7, D. Swain 1-4. Hall: Devin Ortiz 8-94, Dugger 4-45, L.T. Nembhard 2-18.