Benefield: Fort Bragg, Middletown prepare for football showdown

Talk about a clash of styles.

The Middletown Mustangs will travel to Fort Bragg on Friday with a points-against average that looks more like a soccer stat than something a football team puts up.

In seven games this season, the Mustangs have given up an average of 10 points. Their last three games? Shutouts.

On Friday night, Middletown, 5-0 in league, will bring the stingiest defense around to Fort Bragg, 6-0, a team that knows how to pile up points and quickly.

The Timberwolves, defending North Central League I champs, put up an average of 45 points a game.

Middletown, big and physical, likes to grind it out with a running game that gobbles up all kinds of time. Fort Bragg, behind its do-everything quarterback Lucas Triplett, likes to let it fly.

When these two meet on Friday night in Fort Bragg’s stadium, something is going to give.

And more than simply a show in differing styles, this contest is a battle for supremacy in the NCL I.

“Whoever wins this game is in the driver’s seat,” said Fort Bragg coach Roy Perkins. “This pretty much is going to be it.”

Fort Bragg works behind senior Triplett, a guy so athletic that after setting every conceivable receiving record in school history as a junior, he moved to quarterback this season and is running a spread offense that highlights both his arm and his legs.

“When he throws the ball, he’s accurate,” Middletown coach Bill Foltmer said. “And (receiver Shane Giaccani), he’s excellent. He catches the ball in crowds. It’s tough to prepare for those guys as far as that goes.”

Middletown can’t drop deep or Triplett will take off running. The quarterback with a 61.7 completion percentage is averaging 8 yards per carry and 85 rushing yards per game - second among any Timberwolves with significant touches. Only 6-foot-2, 240-pound running back Trystin Strickland, at 8.2 yards per carry, averages more.

Fort Bragg brings about as balanced an attack as is possible. The Timberwolves average 226 receiving yards and 221 rushing yards per game.

“Lucas is a big part of it,” Perkins said. “He’s an equalizer because he’s such a great athlete. The offensive line must play well. The challenge is to deal with their size.”

This is not news to Foltmer.

The veteran coach said his best bet is to play the Timberwolves honest and not try to cheat too far in any direction. He will, however, deploy multi-use senior Robbie Carey defensively as the game unfolds.

Because, frankly, Foltmer says Carey can play anywhere. Foltmer really means anywhere: safety, linebacker, backup quarterback, wide receiver, tight end... I think he might even kick.

“His intelligence - he understands the game well and you don’t have to tell him twice,” Foltmer said.

Something the Mustangs won’t monkey with or move around is anything about their line, both offensive and defensive. They are big and strong and... did I mention really big?

“I think they have a definite size advantage up front,” Perkins said. “I have to figure out some ways to perhaps counter that, something that could equalize that. That’s a real challenge.”

“The problem with Middletown, because of their physicality up front they can do several things very well, which makes it difficult to defend them,” Perkins said. “They throw the ball well enough to hurt you, and usually a team has one good back but they have two, maybe three” options on the run.

And the Mustangs are, no doubt, a run-first squad.

“We have a capable quarterback. When we have to throw, he’s been good for me,” Foltmer said of junior Luke Holt. “But you don’t want to get to the big game and not (dance with) the date that brought you. We’ll stick with what has gotten us here.”

That means giving the ball to 200-pound senior fullback Ty Chorjel and letting him loose. And if it’s not him, it’s senior tight end Devon Ross.

“He needs to have a big game,” Foltmer said of Ross.

Or just his usual game. Behind the run, the Mustangs put an average of 40 points on the board per game.

No decent coach would ever admit to looking beyond the game at hand. That’s OK, I’ll do it for them.

After Friday, Middletown certainly has the taller order to finish off the league schedule. The Mustangs, 5-2 overall and 5-0 in league, host a perennially powerful St. Helena squad on Oct. 28. Although St. Helena opened NCL I play with a surprise loss to Kelseyville and lost 44-21 to Fort Bragg, the Saints have the weapons - and motivation - to play spoiler.

Middletown then plays at Willits (1-6; 1-4) Nov. 4 in the final NCL I game of the season.

Fort Bragg, 7-1 overall and 6-0 in league, has a bye next week, then travels to Kelseyville for the finale Nov. 4. Kelseyville is currently 3-2 in league, including a 40-8 loss to Middletown and a 24-14 loss to Lower Lake last week.

“Mathematically, I don’t see anyone else knocking off Fort Bragg,” Foltmer said.

So that puts all eyes on Fort Bragg’s home field come Friday. A clash is coming.

You can reach staff columnist Kerry Benefield at 707-526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com, on Twitter @benefield and on Instagram at kerry.benefield. Podcasting on iTunes “Overtime with Kerry Benefield.”