Tigers Back At Doc Collins For Home Opener...Hastings Shines in 14-6 Win
By Mike Cameron
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After a rough start at Colchester High School on Friday night September 4th, 2009, the MUHS Tiger Varsity Football Team returned to the friendly confines of their home turf to take on the Fair Haven Union High School Slaters who were impressive in their first game of the season.
The first game of the season saw Colchester’s elusive quarterback, Devon Grammo throw and run for a total of three touchdowns and the Lakers continued to befuddle the Tiger defensive unit after the game unfolded with both teams scoring and missing the p.a.t’s. early.
Grammo ran for three more touchdowns over the next three quarters of play and the Laker Defense kept the Tigers at bay 28-6 at Colchester. Middlebury’s Brendan Burrell launched a 23-yard aerial to Devon Bradford for the Tiger equalizer in the first quarter but that would be it for the traveling Tigers.
Middlebury’s rude welcome back to the Division II High School grid wars was a bit of a shocker to the Tiger faithful who traveled to Colchester. They had higher hopes for their chargers going in. A big crowd of supports was on hand the following Friday night September 11th, 2009 when the resurgent Slaters of Fair Haven High came to town and both teams teed it up at Doc Collins Field for what promised to be a dandy and it was.
The Slaters began their season by disassembling Mill River’s Minute Men to the tune of 64-0 and they came to play.
Fair Haven under the direction of Head Coach Don-Hubert, Jr. picked up right where they left off against Mill River paying little attention to the big vocal Tiger crowd and getting on the board first. The Fair Haven defense was doing a good job reacting to the Tigers tripple option but their first six points lugged in on a one yard plunge by Jessie Maynard would be their last in this one. Middlebury also came to play and they did it on both sides of the ball.
In a game that featured plenty of the kind of mistakes that inexperience brings to the huddle the Tigers were able to continually make the appropriate adjustments and the Slaters could not as the game progressed.
Fair Haven’s momentum after scoring early began to fade as Tiger Head Coach Dennis Smith calmly began to make the moves to counter what had been a wide open Slater attack with Maynard’s throwing and David Atkins running supplying plenty of yardage for the Slaters in the first half.
Middlebury with a roster filled with grade 10 and 11 players called upon the leadership of their seniors Ryan Foley and Jimmy Danyow and both of them played well on both sides of the ball...but it was a sophomore who stole the show on this night for Middlebury and sealing the Slaters fate.
Marshall Hastings went to work early and stayed late.
He ran the ball, caught the ball, payed on both sides of the ball and had a ball earning 140-all-purpose yards in this one, including the go-ahead touchdown catch and an interception to end the game. One coach scouting for a future Tiger opponent was heard to remark... “who is this kid.” Well now we know don’t we coach? The Tigers Devon Bradford made a great leaping grab for a Brendan Burrell pass in the right corner of the endzone and hauled it home to tie the score in he fourth quarter but the p.a.t. kick was wide.
This set the stage for a big 4th quarter Tiger surge to the final TD and it ran out the clock when it looked like Fair Haven might control the ball into a possible win or overtime situation.
Tigers take it 14-6 and head to So. Burlington’s field for an afternoon game against Mt. Mansfield this Saturday.