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Tuesday September 30, 2008 Edition
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Tigers Hold Off Essex 21-18
Team Responds To Coach Brakeley’s Appearance and Message

Members of the 1958 and 1983 MUHS football teams were honored during the annual homecoming football game on Friday night September 27th 2008. Members of those teams were in (58) D. Burton, F. Foote, J. Wimett, J. Brown, J. Barrea, L. Duffany, L.Blaise, J. Pratt, R, Ryan, M. MacIntyre, G. Cooke, J. Billings, D. Keeler, J.Quesnel, R. Smith, W. Bielawski, R. Turner, S. Emilo and D. Brooker. and in (83) M. Stuart, M.Laberge, D. McIntosh, B. Hinman, S. DeGray, G. Stanley, T.Burton. J.Munson, B. Young, R. Audet, K Ouellette, T. Sherman, S. Conn, J. Whitney, M.Gleason, K. Heinecken, P. Jette, R. Shackett, J.Gipson, C. Bell, J. Doria, D. Kerr, J.Bougor, T.Astor, T.Larocque, C. Burnham, J. Fifield, S. Farrel, M. Hendy, K. Cummings, K. Betourney, E. Lamourex and S. Myhre. S. Delray’s #82 Tiger football jersey was displayed by his fellow teammates at the halftime introduction as a gesture of solidarity in his memory.
photo by Mike Cameron
Members of the 1958 and 1983 MUHS football teams were honored during the annual homecoming football game on Friday night September 27th 2008. Members of those teams were in (58) D. Burton, F. Foote, J. Wimett, J. Brown, J. Barrea, L. Duffany, L.Blaise, J. Pratt, R, Ryan, M. MacIntyre, G. Cooke, J. Billings, D. Keeler, J.Quesnel, R. Smith, W. Bielawski, R. Turner, S. Emilo and D. Brooker. and in (83) M. Stuart, M.Laberge, D. McIntosh, B. Hinman, S. DeGray, G. Stanley, T.Burton. J.Munson, B. Young, R. Audet, K Ouellette, T. Sherman, S. Conn, J. Whitney, M.Gleason, K. Heinecken, P. Jette, R. Shackett, J.Gipson, C. Bell, J. Doria, D. Kerr, J.Bougor, T.Astor, T.Larocque, C. Burnham, J. Fifield, S. Farrel, M. Hendy, K. Cummings, K. Betourney, E. Lamourex and S. Myhre. S. Delray’s #82 Tiger football jersey was displayed by his fellow teammates at the halftime introduction as a gesture of solidarity in his memory.

Tuesday September 30, 2008

By Mike Cameron

    Big game weekends, it seems, have always been part of the rivalry between the Tigers and the Essex Hornets.

   At least in recent years, when these two have gotten together the contests have been pivotal for either or both and this one was no exception.  

    The Tigers needed a win to keep any even faint hopes alive for a playoff bid and the Hornets wanted to keep their 2008 momentum going for yet another week.

    A Division 1 win for Middlebury would be sweet.  It would allow them to get untracked after three straight losses on the road. So far this year the Tigers ability to gather momentum has remained elusive.

    On a rainy Friday night at Doc Collins Field the 2008 MUHS Tigers came of age.  Head Coach Peter Brakeley who is on medical leave while undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, returned to his old stomping grounds to be near his fellow coaches, the Tiger fans, his friends in the media and most of all the kids he loves to teach and coach.  It was one of the truly defining moments for Tiger football on Homecoming night 2008.  Coach Brakeley was obviously pleased to be back on the sidelines for the first time this fall.

    It is traditional for the Tiger coaches to invite a member of the community to address the team before the annual homecoming game.  Interim Head Coach Denis Smith and his staff could not have picked a more qualified man or woman to be this year’s guest speaker and it had a ripple effect that was something to see.

    The Tigers came out and set to go with little or no warm-ups and scored three straight touchdowns, tacked the points after on and had Essex reeling 21-0 before the crown even noticed that the steady drizzle or the Essex defense was simply not a factor in the game.  The Tigers were a group of motivated young men on a mission.  The Hornets however were not about to fold their tents.  After Ryan Foley took advantage of crisp Tiger offensive line blocking to score three TDs including a 19-yard pass grab from quarterback Dane Liljestrand, Essex began to move the ball themselves.

    Quarterback Matt Librizzi marched the Hornets to a touchdown with pin-point-passing.  He hit Evan McCrea on a seven yard screen pass late in the second quarter.  The kick failed but the come-back was on.  McCrea notched another TD on a sparkling 45 yard punt return just before halftime, but again the attempt for a two pointer failed.  It was MUHS 21-12 at the half.

    In the second half the Tiger defensive forces kept the Hornets from completing their come-back bid.   EJs John O’Bryan knifed over from four yards out to make it 21-18 early in the fourth quarter and again the kick failed as the rain continued to be the Tigers ally.  Labrizzi although he was close to 50 percent for pass completions with over 40 attempts in the rain, could not go deep against the Tiger secondary.  Foley’s interception with a minute and a half left sealed this special win for Middlebury 21-18.  It was their first D1 notch of the year.  They are 2-3 on the year and Essex is 3-2.  Middlebury’s Ross Lengyel booted three Tiger extra points and that was the margin of victory….  Members of the 1958 and 1983 MUHS football teams along with new inductees into the Tiger hall of fame were honored at halftime.  Master of Ceremonies Dick Bullock did a fantastic job with the introductions under very soggy conditions.

 

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