NCS football playoffs: Ukiah tops Livermore, Kelseyville upsets Middletown

Ukiah rallied in the second half to defeat host Livermore 35-21 on Saturday night and advance to the semifinals of the NCS Division 2 bracket.

The Wildcats, the No. 5 seed, will travel to No 1 Campolindo on Friday night.

The Wildcats went into intermission down 14-13 but took control of the game by scoring 15 unanswered points in the third quarter.

“We've developed a second-half mentality during the regular season,” Ukiah coach Jonathon Dewey said. “We've been starting games slow and then coming out in the second half strong.”

Eddie Holbrook scored on a 15-yard run to put the Wildcats up for good.

“This was one of the most complete games we've played,” Dewey said. “I feel there's more in there and that we'll keep on improving.”

Ukiah controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball in the second half.

“That was the difference in the game,” Dewey said. “We were able to get our running game going and our defense kept Livermore contained.”

KELSEYVILLE 14, MIDDLETOWN 12

At Middletown, the Knights lost to the Mustangs by 32 points in the regular season but turned the tables in the Division 5 quarterfinal game.

Dwayne Yiggins scored what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown midway through the third quarter on a 5-yard run.

“Middletown exposed weaknesses we had the first time we played them,” coach Erick Larsen said. “Offensively, we did a few new things to confuse them and on defense, we concentrated on stopping the run.”

Kelseyville trailed 12-7 at the half. The Knights scored in the second quarter on Gideon Turner's 11-yard pass from Logan Barrick.

Brian Carrillo kicked both of the Knights' extra points while the Mustangs tried and failed on a pair of 2-point runs following their touchdowns.

Tyler Chorjel accounted for both Middletown touchdowns. The first came in the opening quarter from 1-yard out and the second came before halftime from the 8-yard line.

“They basically outplayed us in the second half,” Middletown coach Bill Foltmer said. “We lost the ball three times on fumbles and that hurt us.”

The game-winning drive came after a Middletown fumble.

Yiggins finished with 193 yards on 35 carries while Patrick Mick ran the ball seven times and gained 70 yards.

“Yiggins rose to the occasion,” Larsen said. “This was a big game and he was at his best.

“Middletown concentrated on shutting down our passing game, so we decided to run the ball more.”

Kelseyville, the No. 6 seed, will try for another upset Friday in the semifinals. The Knights will travel to No. 2 Fort Bragg. Those schools met Nov. 4 at Kelseyville and the Timberwolves won 21-20.