Class 3A State Championship Saturday, Dec 9, 12 pm
at Hershey Park Stadium
Head Coach: Brett Myers
How they got here:
PIAA Football: Middletown preview
At Stake: PIAA Class 3A state title
Last weekend, Middletown defeated Conwell-Egan 49-7. The Blue Raiders’ have a second straight trip to Hershey to take on Quaker Valley at noon Saturday. Leading the way is tailback Brady Fox. He rushed for 163 yards and four touchdowns.
Offense:
Middletown’s RB Brady Fox has 30 touchdowns and rushed for 1,563 yards. Fellow running back, Jose Lopez, has not played the past couple weeks due to injury, but leads the team with 1,749 yards. Lopez also has 25 TDs running and another two receiving. QB Scott Ash has 1,321 markers passing with 11 TDs. Middletown has three wide receivers with equivalent stats. Chris Plummer (13-349-3), Tre Leach (17-299-2), and Tyreer Mills (19-317-3) make things hard on defenses.
My Take: Middletown needs to be balanced and the playmakers need to make plays. The Blue Raiders are more effective when a lot of different players touch the ball. If they are successful at spreading the offense around, Quaker Valley will have to guard the whole field and not focus on one player.
Defense:
Here are some of the key players for Quaker Valley that the Blue Raiders’ need to stop. Quaker Valley’s QB Ricky Guss can do it all. He’s thrown for 2,125 yards and 25 TDs. But then he has also rushed for 936 yards and 22 TDs. His favorite receiver is Isaiah McNair, who has hauled in 48 passes for 916 yards and 14 TDs. RB Jordan Tayor has 631 yards toting the ball, scoring five times plus another three touchdowns receiving.
The Blue Raider ‘D’ is #1 of all the teams still playing, giving up 100 points. Kyle Truesdale heads up that stingy defense. The key to each team winning is whoever can play better defense, whether it’s being physical, making stops, or coming up with turnovers.
My Take: Middletown has to find a way to contain Ricky Guss. He is a guy that can beat you throwing the ball or running the ball. If they can find a way to make him one dimensional, that could favor Middletown on defense. But it’s a tall task. Middletown needs to win some one-on-one battles or it could be a long day for the Blue Raiders.
