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Brattleboro 28 Tigers 13

photo by Mike Cameron Marty Niemo #89 and Patrick Messenger #72 both seniors, prepare to square off against Brattleboro Friday night September 16, 2016 at Doc Collins Field in Middlebury.

photo by Mike Cameron MUHS Field Hockey Team prepares to cheer on the Tiger Football Team on Sept 16, 2016

Tuesday September 20, 2016

By Mike Cameron

It had been 11 years since the Colonels had won this duel.  Many of the players in the game were 6, 7, and 8 years old back then.
   Fresh off a two game road stint, Middlebury was 2 and 0 in the 2016 campaign.  It would be good to be treated to some local “home cooking,” in the comfortable confines of Doc Collins Field.
  Week Two  Middlebury took advantage of BFA turnovers and scored twice to notch a 14-0 win in Saint Albans,  holding the Bobwhites scoreless.
   Brattleboro came into this game 0-2, having been pounded by Hartford by a big score in week one and loosing a close one in Brattleboro against St. J.  In their first outing they were missing key players do to team infractions.  The Hilltoppers made the big plays on defense and Bratt did not.  The final was 28-21 Toppers.  
   How would Middlebury fair against the on again, off again, Colonels of 2016?  On this particular night the
answer was, not good.
   The Tiger defense led by Tyler Hotte up front and
Andrew Gleason in the secondary led the charge on the Colonels shifty tailback Cheick Diakite with success in the first half.  The Colonels fullback Knowlton Ravenna had an exceptional night running and blocking especially in the second half when the Bratts exploded for 28 points.
   In the first half Tiger quarterback Andrew Gleason ran the option smoothly with fullback Spencer Carpenter and Trey Kaufmann moving the ball down the field.  Good defense by Middlebury and Gleasons keeper for a three yard score tallied a 7-0 lead at half time.   There could have been more, but the Tigers unfortunately turned the ball over in the red zone three times before intermission.  
   Those potential scores could have changed the entire tempo of the second half.  Bratt ran off 28 points after the intermission break with Diakite and Ravenna converting on numerous third down plays behind a big, strong and skilled offensive line.  
  Brattleboro defensive standout Conor Hiner playing the right corner intercepted a Gleason pass and was off to the house.   Brattleboro also crafted an impressive 97 yard drive against Middlebury in this one.  Very few teams have ever accomplished this against the Tigers.  The Colonels controlled the clock and the line of scrimmage in the second half.
   With the Colonels leading 28-7 and time running out in the fourth quarter.  Coach Dennis Smith changed his back field to  Dustin Davio and Tyler Hotte in the backfield.
   With only a minute and change left in the game,  Hotte laid-on a colossal block at the left seam and Davio was off to the races 79 yards for a touchdown.  The kick was low but the Tigers had sent a message that underestimating their potential for the rest of the season is not a good idea.  
   The final was Brattleboro 28 and the Tigers 13.  Brattleboro's Cheick Diakite finished his nights work with 243 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns on 30 carries against the Tigers. 

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