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Scrappy Tigers Go Out With a Roar

RHS Takes D1 Title 27-14

photo by C.P. Thayer Tigers #3 Sean Harrison moves out against Rutland High School in the Division 1 Title Game on Saturday, November 11th, 2006. #14 J.J. Mackey provides blocking.

photo by C.P. Thayer #26 Ethan Raymond prepares to tuck ball and dive for a big gain against Rutland in D1 Title Game. #53 Eric Fifield, #65 Kurtis Prouty and #78 Robbie Harrison provide big blocks on the play.

photo by C.P. Thayer Rutland’s #35 Derrick Webb is hauled down by Middlebury’s #3 Sean Harrison in the D1 Title Game won by Rutland 27-14 on Nov. 11th, 2006. The Tigers ended their season at 10-1.

Tuesday November 14, 2006

By Mike Cameron

    The Tigers prepared once again for what Coach Peter Brakeley  has called, “a Rutland team that’s bigger, faster, has more numbers in their program and has greater depth than us.”  

    But Brakeley also did something interesting during his post game interview with reporters 2-weeks ago in Bristol.  

    On that Saturday afternoon his Tigers had just edged a talented  Hartford Team in the last seconds via a J.J. Mackey 30 yard field goal.     

    After calmly evaluating Rutland High School’s impressive credentials  Brakeley pointed to his heart with his right index finger and said, “Mabe we can overcome those challenges with what we have in here, The ticker also has a lot to do with how this game is played.”  

    Like Mackey’s field goal only minutes earlier on that special day, Brakely’s comments were right on target.

    A week later, on a beautiful ‘Indian Summer’ kind of Saturday afternoon, the Tigers and the Raiders ‘teeded it up, at Saint Peters Field the home of the Mounties of MSJ on River Street in Rutland.

    A big crowd was treated to a hard fought ball game especially along the line of scrimmage.  

    The Tigers stopped Rutland cold on their first series and the Raiders had trouble getting untracked and had to punt.

    Middlebury got fair field position on the punt and went right to work, moving the ball with quickness against Rutland’s much bigger defensive front four.

    At the Raider 38 yard line, the Tigers went to a half back option  pass play on a sweep right.  It was a first down play and intended to catch the Raiders flat footed.  Tiger half back Lance Robinson knew the play cold as did his intended target Travis Betourney who had curled into the right pylon area of the endzone.  Raider safety Rob Dorion also knew the play.  He had seen it on game tape.  “We know it was coming.  It was just a matter of time,” he told reporters after the game.  Dorion made the right read and picked off Robinson’s pass near the goal line.

    The Raiders marched the length of the field and scored with most of the key first downs coming off Raider quarterback Sam Reynolds arm.  Reynolds had a career day (14-17 for 177 yards and two touchdowns.  Dorion and big tight end Zack Aquistipace were his favorite targets in the early going.  Aquistipace grabbed a short pass in the flats to score under the Tiger pass coverage at 11:48 of the second quarter and the point-after kick was good, 7-0 Raiders but the Tigers refused to give up the big play contesting every single yard Rutland gained on route.

    The Tigers Defensive Unit made a monster play on an RHS 4th and 8 at the Tiger 38, two possessions later, once again stopping the Raiders from getting the big play off.

    Middlebury, with a rested offensive unit went right at the Raiders aided by two key penalties and marched to the Rutland 5.  Eathan Raymond, knowing that this would be his last game in a Tiger uniform ran like a man possessed and JJ Mackey was the same as he handed off and blocked trying to pick holes in the Raiders jumbo defensive forward wall.  With the ball at the 5 yard line Sean Harrison knifed in to score and J.J. added the “automatic.”
The score was 7-7 with 3:03 left in the half.

    It looked like the Raiders would stall again inside their 40 before the half ended but that was not he case.

    On a third and five with only 1:39 left before intermission.  Rutland Head Coach Mike Norman decided to call a fly pattern down the left sidelines, with Dorion running as fast as he can and Reynolds passing to him on the fly.  The Tigers were in a single coverage situation and Reynolds had enough time in the pass pocket to hit Dorion right on his number 8 and in full stride at the 50.  Dorion ran by Mackey who turned and almost over hauled him with a diving arm sweep tackle at the Tiger 15.  The touchdown like any given up just before the half was a stunner but the Tigers defended the point after with great pressure and it sailed wide right.  Rutland led 13-7 at the half.

    In the third quarter Chad Foley made a great read on Reynolds and picked him off at the Raider 39.  The interception gave the Tigers the momentum they were looking for and they clawed to the Raider 9.  Ben Almquist whirled off tackle and raced into the endzone.  JJ was on target  with the kick and the Tigers were on top-14-13 with 5:05 left in the third quarter.  It would end their scoring for the day.

    Rutland’s Derrick Webb who had been contained for most of the game began to put his individual mark on the contest from that point on with run after run.  Both he and Matt  Littler began to amass the greater portion of  Rutland’s winning margin.  The Tigers would prevent the big break-aways but Webb and teammate  Littler would continue to make key third down plays for the rest of the game. 

    After a Webb 9-yard TD sweep, Reynolds hit Dorion again for the 2-point conversion and at the end of the third quarter Rutland was back on top 21-14 after answering the Tigers go-ahead bid.  A final touchdown by Littler with 40-seconds left in the contest sealed the win with the Tigers adding their final impression on Rutland by blocking the point -after.  27-14 was the final score but not the entire story by a long shot.

    “ We played hard we gave it all we had,” J.J. Mackey said after the game.  “We beat every team we played this year and we beat one team twice.  We just couldn’t beat two teams twice.  I’m very proud of all of them.  Wait till next year,” Tiger Head Coach Peter Brakeley said after the game.  The Tigers have 19 juniors and some very talented sophomores back next year. Seven seniors will graduate.

    Barrett, Mackey Raymond, Porter, Peterson, Fleming, Desjardon, and Harrison will always remember their perfect regular season and play-off win at M.U.H.S.

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