Eagles rally, take first step toward dome return with win


Austin Smith of Midland (4) picks up some of his 263 rushing yards in the state playoff game against Janesville Oct. 27 in Wyoming. (Photos by Pete Temple)

Midland players Carsen Rupp (6) and Hunter Shoaff (center), among others, team up to bring down a Janesville runner.
FOOTBALL
By: 
Pete Temple
Express Sports Editor

     One down.

     Midland took its first step toward a return trip to the UNI-Dome with a runaway victory over Janesville, 42-7, in a state Eight-player first round football game Friday, Oct. 27 in Wyoming.

     The game was played on a cold and windy night with an occasional rain-sleet-snow mix.

     The win set up a quarterfinal matchup for Midland (8-2) against Tripoli (9-1), to be played Friday, Nov. 3, also in Wyoming. The winner will advance to the UNI-Dome for a state semifinal game.

     The Eagles spotted Janesville an early 7-0 lead, but scored 20 unanswered points to end the first half, and 22 more in the second half.

     “Janesville came out and played hard and took advantage of a couple of our mistakes in the first quarter,” Midland coach Casey Hack said. “We took control of the game in the second quarter and never looked back.”

     The Wildcats held Midland running back Austin Smith to 31 yards rushing in the first quarter, but the senior racked up 232 over the final three periods to finish with 40 carries for 263 yards and four touchdowns.

     “Offensively we had to make some adjustments in the second quarter,” Hack said. “Janesville did a nice job taking away our cutback lanes, and we had to stay true to our blocks and run downhill.

     “Austin Smith ran the ball really well all night.”

     Janesville took the game’s opening possession and drove 55 yards in nine plays, scoring on a 20-yard pass from Peyton Meyer to Spencer Hoff.

     Midland punted on its next possession, but got the ball back when Hunter Shoaff recovered a Janesville fumble. The Eagles drove to the Janesville 1-yard line, but were stopped on downs.

     The Eagles broke through on their next possession, early in the second quarter. Midland drove 43 yards of the 80-yard field to score on a nine-yard run by Smith.

     Midland scored on its next possession as well, this time a 20-yard run by Smith, to take a 12-7 lead with 3:06 left in the half.

     Janesville lost the ball on downs, and the Eagles took over at the Janesville 36 with 1:31 to play. Seven runs by Smith brought the ball to the 5 with 17.4 seconds left in the half, and Britan Martens completed a touchdown pass to Drew Gravel on the next play. A two-point pass from Martens to Fisher Bisinger made it 20-7, which was the halftime score.

     “Britan Martens was a huge contributor to the offense,” Hack said. “He ran the ball well, caught a pass, and was very efficient in the passing game on a terrible night to throw.”

     Midland put the game away with three second half touchdowns, on runs of 41 and two yards by Smith, and an 18-yard pass from Martens to Carter Mohr.

     The Eagles had 374 total yards, to 230 for Janesville.

     “Defensively our kids were very good again this week,” the coach said. “It was a total team effort with multiple people getting to the ball carriers all night. Drew Gravel and Hunter Shoaff were a couple of the key contributors.”

     Drew Gravel finished with seven tackles, while Brett Schoenherr and Shoaff had five apiece.

     As for Friday’s opponent, Tripoli, Hack said: “It is another team that we have never played. They are a really good team and it should be an exciting quarterfinal matchup.”

 

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