Middletown has the No. 1 offense in the state, averaging 38 points per game.
MIDDLETOWN --- Like many of the Middletown faithful and players, senior Dan Nevitt wasn't pleased with how the Islanders played in last year's Division IV Super Bowl against Exeter-West Greenwich. The Scarlet Knights rolled to a 26-6 win, leaving the Middletown players hungry for a rematch and another try for the title.
The Islanders got their first wish early this season when EWG came to town. By the time the Scarlet Knights got back on the bus and headed west, Middletown made sure that its visitors knew one thing for certain --- that if the two teams were to play for the title again, the Isles wouldn't be a pushover. Junior running back Rico McCray led the way, scoring three touchdowns as Middletown returned the favor with a 34-7 win in the rematch.
The next order of business on the to-do list is, of course, having the best possible regular season to place them in the driver's seat for the postseason, and ultimately the Super Bowl. That's been the mission from day one of camp, and it will be until it is completed.
"We feel we have some unfinished business," said Nevitt who is a leader on both the offensive and defensive lines. "We came out and definitely weren't prepared for Exeter last year. They came out and put a smackin' on us. We weren't playing like a team in that last game, so we've been trying a lot harder this year to get the team together. We just gotta do what we gotta do, and hopefully put a smackin' on some teams while we're at it."
Putting a "smackin' on some teams" is a phrase that doesn't quite describe the fullness of Middletown's domination during the first half of the season. Counting its 6-0 Injury Fund win over D-I Portsmouth, the Islanders are 5-0 as they head into Friday's key match-up with Classical, placing them atop both the D-IV standings as well as the Coaches Aid rankings. Clearly using the bitter memory of last year's Super Bowl as motivation, the Middletown offense has lit up the scoreboards for 190 points through its first five games, which amounts to an average of a state-best 38 per game. The point totals are even more impressive when not factoring in the Injury Fund contest --- 184 points in four games amounts to a 46 per game average.
Head coach Andrew Leys has the Islanders off to a 5-0 start.
"We made it our focal point in the weight room during the offseason and at the start of this season, that we were going to do everything we could to get back to the Super Bowl," Middletown head coach Andrew Leys said. "We have high expectations that we not only want to get back to the Super Bowl, but we want to win it this time."
Leading the offensive explosion is the aforementioned McCray, who has been filling up the stat sheets each and every game, recording a total of 11 touchdowns over the course of his team's five contests. On the ground, he's ran for nearly 600 yards on 50 carries (149 yards per game average) and found the end zone seven times. He also has caught three TD passes and returned a 45-yard punt to the house in a 36-16 win at Central Falls on Sept. 25.
"We have a really good offense this year," McCray said. "We have a lot of guys returning, so that experience has definitely been one of the keys for us. It just makes things a lot easier, when you know you can trust your teammates because you know that they know what they're doing out there, and you know that they know what they need to do. Everyone has been doing their job and fitting in nicely."
Dylan Gracia (left) and Rico McCray (44) have been leading the way offensively for Middletown in '09.
Also helping lead the way offensively has been junior Dylan Gracia. While McCray has shouldered the bulk of the rushing load, Gracia still has managed to make an impact whenever he gets a touch. Thus far in '09, he has hit pay dirt six times. He's found the end zone on the ground twice, caught a pair of TD passes and returned both a kick and a punt for scores as well.
Coach Leys said that one of the major keys to the team's success has been the importance placed on getting in top physical shape.
"Conditioning has been a focal point for us from the start," he said. "We have a lot of guys who play both ways --- on offense and defense --- so they need that conditioning to stay fresh and not get tired as the game wears on.
"So we brought in a new coach to help us out with our conditioning. His name is Lee Brown, and he's a military transfer --- a Navy guy. His son is actually Kevin Brown, our fullback and middle linebacker. But Coach Brown, he's been a great addition, because he comes up with some real creative and competitive conditioning drills and workouts. So it's not just the drudgery of conditioning because he makes it fun for the kids."
Watching the new drills may be "fun" from the coaches' perspective, but for the players, participating in them is a whole other animal.
Players run through a drill during practice.
"We had Kevin Brown's father come in here, and he's a crazy conditioning coach," Nevitt said. "Double sessions basically killed us this year. He's had us working hard all year. He even killed us last week during our bye week to get ready for this game we have coming up. Guys were out here the other day just falling. They couldn't stay up. It's a lot more serious than last year, because we have goals to meet."
McCray agrees with his teammate's assessment of the new coach.
"He's in the Navy, so let's just say he knows how to get in shape," he said. "He has us do a lot of stuff with medicine balls, and then he has us do these things called 'Burpies,' which is when you drop down and do a push-up, then jump up and clap. But you have to get off the ground when you jump. It sounds easy, but you try doing 10 or 15 of those in a row and then sprinting."
Gracia believes that the key is for players to keep their eyes on the prize.
"Mr. Brown, Coach Brown, he's a crazy guy," Gracia said with a smile. "I don't know where he comes up with his stuff because we hate doing it, but we know it will help us in the long run, so we push through it. As long as it will get us back to the Super Bowl for another shot at winning it, we'll do it."
Got a story? Want to be featured on CoachesAid.com? Please e-mail your story idea(s) to joefagella@coachesaid.com
Comments: