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Tigers Contained 7-0 vrs Red Hawks

Tuesday September 29, 2009

By Mike Cameron

    The MUHS Tiger Varsity Football Team made a move to Division II but recently they were playing like they never left Division I.  Their win over Mt. Mansfield last years D-2 runner up on Saturday September 19th, is a case in point.  The Cougars got one touchdown against a tough, hard hitting, Tiger defensive unit.  Three weeks ago it was Fair Haven scoring only one touchdown against the Tigers.  Both teams (Fair Haven and Mt. Mansfield,) were in the ball game till the end and both led by touchdowns early in the first quarter only to have the Tigers figure out a way to win, move into the lead themselves and close the door.  Only Colchester a team with an excellent running game and skilled defenders especially their linebackers and defensive ends who could contain the Tigers running game had been able to manage the Tigers triple option with any degree of success.  If the Tigers can stay healthy those two teams, (Colchester and MUHS) could meet again. Add to all of this Middlebury’s new found passing attack.

    Middlebury has a history of getting better as the season progresses. Ask Essex, a team with a wealth of talent now running rough shod through Division 1 how it was handled by MUHS at home last year for the Tigers biggest win of the 2008 season.    As one veteran coach who was scouting Middlebury remarked during the Mt. Mansfield game. “They know the fundamentals.”  “They are always well coached and they are always aggressive.” The Tigers and the Red Hawks would be the first meeting between the two programs.  CVU had proven that they can put some serious numbers on the board against teams in their division and over the first three games quarterback Konnor Fleming has proven that he is a threat from anywhere on the field and has punted the ball amazingly well.  Speaking of punts how about the rocket that Ryan Foley touched off against Fair Haven in the season opener?

    Defense promised to be the key in this one.  Both teams could control the ball if need be.  The question going into the contest was; who would stop who?  It was interesting to note that all of Middlebury’s opponents so far this year with the exception of Colchester had big offensive numbers the week before they played the Tigers.  Against the Tigers they were stopped…period.  Would that be the case against the Red Hawks?  A big contingent of fans traveling up from Tiger Town were itching to find out and they did.
Defensive Struggle   

    At CVU, the Tiger offense was flatter than a pancake.  They just could not seem to get things going and were forced into third and large and fourth and short situations only to have the Red Hawks stop them for short yardage or no gainers.  

    The Tiger defensive unit also was a door slammer up front and in the secondary.
After spotting the Red Hawks to a touchdown early and the point after under the direction of their multi-talented quarterback, Flemming, MUHS had their chances but could not maintain offensive momentum in the Red Zone.  A good defensive play, a penalty or other problem including an early knee injury to Senior Co-capt Jimmy Danyow a 2-way performer,  hurt  the Tigers chances for another second half come-back.

    The Red Hawks only scored once and that’s all they needed to seal their 4th win of the season against 0 set backs.  The Tigers are now 2-2 on the year and look forward to a Friday night encounter on October 2nd against Div III Springfield back home at Doc Collins Field.  Springfield is the defending champ in their division.

    The Tigers were not without their individual highlights in this one.  Marshall Hastings made some nice plays at the corner and out of the backfield.  Joey Zeno stepped it up a notch and made some key stops on defense when Danyow was on the sidelines.  The Tigers gave the Red Hawks all they could handle in a close 7-0 loss.  

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