Piedmont High School’s boys football team lost to the Middletown High School Mustangs, 37-23 in the North Coast Section Division 7 championship game on Nov. 28 at Justin-Siena-Napa.
This was the first time the Highlanders made it to the NCS finals since 1976, when they defeated Salesian for the 2A championship. No. 2 seed Piedmont ended their season with a 8-5 record. Top-seeded Middletown advanced to the California Interscholastic Federation playoffs with a 11-2 record.
The game was a rematch of a game earlier in the season, when the host Mustangs beat the Highlanders, 32-17.
The below-fifty degree weather made the game stiff and harsh. The Mustangs received the opening kickoff, utilizing running backs Tyler Galamay and Trenton Griffith to run downfield.
However, the Highlanders managed to get a third down stop at Middletown’s 36, forcing the Mustangs to punt. Piedmont failed to do anything with the stop before punting back to the Mustangs, leaving them on their own 23.
“We were giving full effort, they just happened to be the better team tonight,” right guard Bill Ashton said
Middletown pushed down the field before Griffith scored on a 33-yard run with just under four minutes left in the first quarter. Their two-point conversion was good, making the score 8-0. On the first play of the second quarter, the Highlanders turned the ball over on downs when quarterback Jimmy Lagios was sacked on Middletown’s 41.
The Mustangs once again ran down the field, this time with Galamay scoring a 10-yard run with ten minutes left in the first half. Their two-point conversion was good, making the score 16-0.
“We did a lot of film. Our coaches put a lot of time and effort into it,” Galamay said. “I just trusted my line tonight and trusted my QB. I was just running behind the line, do my thing and go score touchdowns.”
The Highlanders decided to bump their game up, using running backs Rehan Mumtaz and Xavier Henderson to dart down the field similarly to Middletown. Once at Middletown’s 12, Lagios connected with wide receiver Cash Panico for a touchdown. Piedmont’s two-point conversion was good, making the score 16-8.
“It was a good boost for the team, but we still were trailing,” Panico said. “We used that momentum to play better.”
Middletown drove back down the field before quarterback Blake Costlow attempted to pass to wide receiver Jon 9olHawkins. Owen Curran intercepted the pass for Piedmont with 32.3 seconds left in the half. Henderson then ran from Piedmont’s 26 to Middletown’s 1 for a 73-yard run, setting up fullback Colby Hong to score another touchdown for the Highlanders. Lagios and wide receiver Diego Hurwitz didn’t connect for the two-point conversion, making the score 16-14 at halftime.
“I played pretty well. We couldn’t execute on some things, couldn’t block up,” Henderson said.
Piedmont received the kickoff to start the third quarter, but had to punt.
Galamay and Griffith then led Middletown down the field before Galamay got his second touchdown with three minutes left in the third quarter. Their two-point conversion was good, making the score 24-14.
“It definitely got a little scary at the end of the first half. We came out in the second half and just dominated. That’s how we envisioned it,” Griffith said.
Piedmont started its next drive on its own 24, using Henderson, Mumtaz, Panico, and tight end Dash Waters-Worthen to move the ball down the field. However, the Highlanders were stopped at Middletown’s 6, leading to kicker Matias Seelenberger making a 23-yard field goal despite a partial block with a minute and a half left in the third quarter.
“(It) managed to go in somehow, so it was a decent performance, but the team, we just didn’t do enough,” Seelenberger said.
Middletown started off the fourth quarter with a possession of only runs before Costlow connected with Hawkins in the end zone. They missed their two-point conversion, making the score 30-17 with just under five minutes remaining.
Piedmont middle linebacker Fischer Veltri came out strong in the second half, leading the Highlanders with 12 tackles in the game.
“Just from the start, I haven’t played for five games, I knew this might be my last game ever, and it was,” Veltri said. “No matter how it turned out, I wanted to make sure I left everything on the field. I wanted to give it my all in my last game. Non-seniors, go get them next year. Go get that NCS chip.”
On the next play after the kickoff, Lagios was intercepted by Jamisen Jackson. That set up Griffith’s 20-yard touchdown run with just over two minutes left to make it 37-17.
“We definitely know it’s going to be a different game. It’s way later in the season. We’re a better team, they’re a better team. But we just came out and got the job done,” Griffith said.
The Highlanders were not finished yet, as Lagios completed passes to Waters-Worthen and Panico as well as scrambling twice for 14 yards. Lagios then connected with wide receiver Jack Meyjes from two yards out with 30.4 seconds left in the game. The Highlanders missed the two-point conversion.
“It is what it is. These two classes below (the seniors) hold a lot of promise,” Waters-Worthen said. “We haven’t made it this far since 1976, so it is huge at the end of the day, and it sucks to lose. It’s heartbreaking, but we’ll move on as a program and I have faith that in the next couple of years, we’ll go far.”
Griffith rushed for 148 yards while Galamay rushed for 141 with each scoring two touchdowns. The twosome combined for 187 yards in the first meeting. Middletown finished with 313 yards rushing in the championship game.
Henderson finished with 124 yards rushing for the Highlanders. Lagios completed 11 of 17 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw an interception.