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"Sunshine [Carr’s nickname] is a young quarterback who is just beginning to understand how to play the position," said Middletown coach Eric Marszalek. "He has a load of talent and he’s going to help us be successful."
Middletown rolled up 484 yards offense, with 167 yards on the ground that complimented the throwing of Carr. Split end Mike Bradley had another big day, catching eight passes for 184 yards.
"Mike was understandably disappointed in his performance last week [he caught eight passes for 87 yards against Enfield, but dropped four more], but he’s a quality football player and he was great today."
The game was closer than the final score indicates. Middletown led 21-6 at the half, but the Indians got right back in the game with a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Steve Harrington with 7:56 left in the third quarter. With Ryan Dunn’s kick, Farmington cut the lead to 21-13 and it stayed an eight-point game until MHS picked up a safety with 6:53 left in the game.
Middletown got its final touchdown on a 15-yard run by Korey Speller with 33.3 seconds left.
"I thought we played well enough to win," said Farmington coach Jeff Bemus. "When you’re on the two-yard line [first quarter] you should score and we didn’t. I’m also happy I’m not in a league where you get fined for criticizing the officials, but I would like to know how it can be offensive pass interference for one team and not for another?"
The call that got Bemus going came with eight seconds left in the first half. Middletown had a 14-6 lead when Carr hit Speller (74 yards rushing, 99 yards passing on six catches) from 35 yards out.
Bemus yelled that Speller pushed off to catch the ball, but the officials would have none of it. Later in the game, the officials called an offensive pass interference penalty against Farmington that negated a big play on third down and wiped out a first down.
"I thought we played very well today," said Marszalek. "I was very happy with our effort; we worked very hard. It was the best week of practice we’ve had and it carried right into the game."
After a scoreless first quarter, Middletown (2-0) took a 7-0 lead on a four-yard run by Carr at 9:22, a play that capped a 10-play, 91 yard drive. The Blue Dragons built the lead to 14-0 when Carr hit Bradley in stride for a 63-yard touchdown pass with 4:31 left. Todd Hettrich added the point after both scores.
Farmington (0-2) jumped right back in the game when, after Harrington threw an interception to Ishmail James, Carr returned the favor on the next play, only this time Darius Rannie took it 59 yards for the touchdown.
While Bemus bemoaned his team’s inability to score when it got to Middletown’s three-yard line in the first, the same thing happened to MHS in the second quarter. Leading 14-6, the Dragons had a first and goal at the three, but Devin Dukes fumbled a pitch from Carr.
On its subsequent possession, Farmington moved quickly to its 42, but a fourth down pass failed. Given the good field position, Middletown moved quickly. Carr hit Andre Privott for 23 yards and after an incompletion, he hit Speller in the end zone, the catch that Bemus said should not have been allowed.
Middletown gave up the third quarter touchdown to Harrington on the tenth play of the quarter’s opening drive. But Farmington couldn’t get any closer than 21-13. Late in the third quarter MHS got to the Farmington one-yard line, but Carr lost four yards on third down and Hettrich missed a 22-yard field goal.
The safety that made it a two-score margin was set up by Hettrich’s 39-yard punt that nailed Farmington to its own two-yard line On third down, Harrington was sacked in the end zone to give Middletown a 10-point lead.
The game’s final touchdown on Speller’s 15-yard run was the eighth play of a 62-yard drive.
Middletown is home with Avon Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
