Middletown dropped a bomb on the MPC Colonial Division to highlight Week No. 5 of the season. This might be the first year for the conference realignment, but what hasn’t changed is despite a completely new look, what remains the same is the Colonial Division is still crazy.
Thanks in large part to Middletown.
The Blue Raiders pulled off the biggest upset of the 2024 season to date by knocking West Perry from the ranks of the unbeaten with a shocking 14-9 come-from-behind victory in dramatic fashion.
With less than 90 seconds remaining, West Perry was clinging to a 9-7 lead with Middletown inside its own 25. The Blue Raiders hadn’t scored a point since the first quarter and needed at least 60-65 yards to attempt a field goal to win it.
Then came the bomb that shook up the Crazy Colonial. Blue Raiders QB Harrison Ortiz hooked up with receiver Luis Roman for a 78-yard catch-and-run touchdown with 72 seconds remaining. It was the only catch of the game for Roman.
It was a signature win for a once-proud Middletown program that only two short years ago shut football down for an entire season because of pervasive hazing abuse. This group endured a 1-9 campaign a year ago in their return to action.
Clearly this was an upset, but it’s not a fluke. The Blue Raiders two losses in five games each came by two points. I guess you could say Middletown is five or six points away from being unbeaten. That’s pretty simple, but shows the fine line this team is playing on.
That leaves, get ready for it, Trinity as your leader of the Colonial with a spiffy 3-0 mark in division games. West Perry, Susquehanna Township and East Pennsboro each have one loss in the division. Get ready for a crazy race to the finish. There is zero clarity in terms of how this shakes out.
FOR THE RECORD
Bishop McDevitt quarterback Stone Saunders, a Kentucky recruit, is one of the top two in Pennsylvania history when it comes to touchdown passes. The senior fired six tuddy’s to six different receivers in the first half Friday night at Carlisle to pull level with former Steel-High QB Alex Erby at 176 TD passes tossed in a career.
Erby just finished his high school career some nine months ago, and Saunders still has at least five games remaining. The Crusaders gunslinger will set a new standard next week at The Roc in front of the home folks against Altoona.
Saunders eclipsing 200 career touchdown passes is a realistic number in my book.
THE 15TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
In honor of the 15th leader of our great nation, James Buchanan, the school named for him is currently in second place in the No. 2 spot of the MPC Capital Division behind heavy favorite Line Mountain with a 4-1 overall mark and a 3-1 division record.
This on the heels of the Rockets’ third shutout of the season, a 15-0 win over Halifax. I’m not going to put JB in the contender category just yet. Those three Capital Division wins are against a trio of teams who are a combined 1-14 overall. And JB lost to Juniata 48-0.
Still a chance to finish with a .500 season at the halfway point is a monumental step forward. The meat (and potatoes with vegetables and salad along with dessert) of James Buchanan’s schedule awaits.
Upper Dauphin, Steel-High, division leader Line Mountain, East Pennsboro and Camp Hill await their shot at the Rockets. Only UDA has a losing record among that lot and the Trojans just pushed Line Mountain to the brink. One more win still feels like a bridge too far to cross. But the chance to get five wins is so rare for JB the opportunity for that is what matters.
MY 2 CENTS
Here are a few of my random thoughts as we clear the halfway point of the 2024 regular season. Mechanicsburg has spent the first half of the season under new head coach Dave Heckard killing cats. And I don’t see anyone slowing them down before Week 9. … Fellow Keystone mate Shippensburg is also unbeaten and has walked a different path this season but the end result is the same. Hounds and Wildcats are your Week 10 Colonial tilt. I’m taking popcorn orders for that matchup now. … What Harrisburg has accomplished this season continues to impress me. Cougars have been dealt some serious adversity blows and yet they continue to win. Are the Cougars talented, sure. But they are using more than pure talent to win. … Back to the Crazy Colonial, how this shakes out might depend on Big Spring. Yeah the 1-4 Bulldogs. Trust me you don’t want to have an off night against this squad. West Perry, East Pennsboro and Susquehanna Township, all contenders, still play the Bulldogs. Buckle up and bring your best. Big Spring won’t be able to keep up in a track meet, but if they get you in their ground-and-pound sandbox you will go down.
