Roane County News: Midway rolls Oneida, 25-0
By BROWNIE ROSE/Roane Newspapers 10/2/06
roanecounty.com
Almost every season coach Craig Moser’s Midway Green Waves have one particular game where everything falls into place and they appear to be set for the stretch run for either the region championship or a playoff berth.
Friday’s game at Oneida may have been the game this season where the Green Waves all got on the same page and appeared to be ready for what lies ahead in Region 2-A. Midway used speed to their advantage in defeating a slower Oneida team 25-0.
With the victory, Midway stayed in contention for the region title should Coalfield fall in the coming weeks. Midway improved to 2-1 in Region 2-A and to 4-2 overall.
Specifically, QB Seth Lyle ran the most rings around Oneida. Lyle piled up 126 yards rushing and hit two of three passes for 15 more yards. Lyle also returned a punt 80 yards for the third Midway touchdown.
Backs Ray Robinson, Harley Davidson, and Eric Stansbury also provided a ton of help for Lyle. Robinson ran for 95 yards while Davidson and Stansbury picked up a TD run each in the win.
The biggest surprise may have been the Midway’s bend but don’t break defense. The Midway D showed signs that they were pretty salty last week against Watertown, but they allowed less than 100 yards of total offense through three quarters against Oneida. The Indians put together a good fourth quarter, but still could not get into the end zone.
Despite all the good news, Coach Moser was still concerned about mistakes.
“It’s a big win, but I’m little aggravated with all the mental mistakes that could hurt sometime down the road if we don’t get them fixed,” he said.
But every time the Green Wave offense made a mistake, the defense was more than ready to make up for it. Midway got three takeaways against the Indians on a fumble recovery, an interception, and the second TD came behind a blocked punt by Ashton Chinn that he recovered at the Oneida 40 late in the first quarter.
Midway took control fairly quickly. They received the opening kickoff and pushed to the Oneida 40 before a bobbled pitch from Lyle to Will Poe lost 12 yards and forced a punt that pinned the Indians at the 15.
After an Oneida punt on their first possession, the Green Waves offense worked quickly this time. Robinson gained seven on the first play then Lyle swept right on the next play and zoomed past everyone for the 55-yard touchdown.
The Green Waves point after attempts are still some lacking in execution, so they generally go for two and they failed on all three tries after the first three touchdowns. However, they did lead 6-0 with 4:26 left in the first quarter.
The Indians got a good return on the kickoff and pushed to Midway 44 before being forced to punt. On the punt, Chinn pushed through and blocked the punt. Chinn tried to pick it up and run, but ended up with the recovery at the Oneida 40.
The Green Waves needed only five plays to score from the 40. Davidson capped this drive with a 23-yard run to make the score 12-0 with 51 seconds left in the opening quarter.
After a three-and-out by Oneida’s offense, Midway made another big play in the kicking game as Lyle received the ensuing punt at the 20 and roared past everyone for an 80-yard score to make the score 18-0 with 10:18 left in the first half.
Oneida did have two more solid chances to score in the first half, but the came up empty on both possessions. Oneida’s first drive ended at the Midway 11 with a Lyle fumble recovery then the Indians made it to the 27 before running out of downs.
Oneida started the second half on offense, but their second play of the third period ended in disaster as Stansbury picked off a long Indian pass attempt.
The Waves then proceeded to put together a long drive that ate up a lot of clock. In 16 plays, Midway drove from their own 39 to the Oneida 11 before turning the ball over on downs.
Oneida gained only four yards before punting short to Lyle at the 45. Lyle almost got another return, but was forced out of bounds at the 15.
Stansbury scored from two yards out three plays later then Daniel Chinn knocked home the PAT to make the score 25-0 with 11:27 left in the contest.
The Indians got off two good drives in the fourth quarter with senior back Adam Jeffers doing most of the damage. The first drive ended at the Midway 40 with a punt. Midway punted back after three plays and the Indians drove to the Midway three this time where they ran out of downs.
Lyle led all rushers with 14 carries for 126 yards and two TDs. Robinson had 95 yards on 20 carries. Davidson picked up 27 yards on 5 runs and had a touchdown. Stansbury got 11 yards on five carries and a touchdown.
This was the fourth consecutive win for the Green Waves against the Indians.