The Midway Green Wave (3-0, 5-1) sits atop the standings in Region 2A. On Fri-day night, they beat a capable Oneida team that probably got more than they ex-pected in the Emerald Forest. The Oneida Indians brought with them a reputation of being tough to score on, and they performed admirably. However Coach Craig Moser showed what “staying the course” is really all about: the Indians got a con-sistent offensive dose of Robinson, Stansbury, Davidson, and Poe. When drives stalled, they came back the next series and gave it to the visiting team again: Mid-way ended the evening with 249 yards on the ground. The Green Wave added 44 yards through the air for a total of 293 yards for the game.
Meanwhile on the other side of the ball, Midway was outperforming the team that had staked its reputation on being a hard-hitting defensive unit. The Green Wave defense gave up 183 total yards for the game, and even though Oneida worked their way toward the goal line on a couple of occasions, they were met with big plays to shut them down when the drive was on the line.
This was a very good win for the Midway Green Wave, and a huge step to finish-ing the year atop the Region 2A standings. Midway Alumnus Paul Hester noted that Oneida was a significant opponent, “the junior high team had competed for a state championship 2 years ago – that talent was now on the field as sophomores.”
The next 2 weeks will be very interesting for the Green Wave. Craig Moser’s green clad troops will take on Sunbright this Friday night and then travel to Harriman the week after. This team is playing for a championship, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a player or a fan, that very fact should get you very excited. Go Green!
Here are your SORSN keys to the game:
1. Claiming the House
Midway set the tone for the evening with an opening drive that went for 72 yards and a touchdown.
2. Any Questions?
Oneida cut the lead to 14-7 with 3:30 left in the 3rd quarter. Midway answered with a 10 play, 63 yard slow dance to the end zone.
3. Now What?
The Green Wave defense gave up some yards, and allowed the Indians to see the promise land … but denied entry on all but one occasion. Midway blocked a field goal, and did not allow 4th down conversions in the red zone.
4. It Will Not Show Up in the Stats
In the 3rd quarter, a pass was thrown in the direction of a well defended Will Poe who ran his route into the end zone. An Indian defender had 2 hands on the ball, but Poe simply would not allow the interception to take place – he attacked the de-fender’s arms and twice swatted at the ball in an effort to knock it way. Midway scored a couple plays later (on another pass to Poe) to take the lead 14-0.
5. All that stuff that Coach Majors Talked About
Attack, attack, attack … always attack! The Green Wave won with special teams, defense, and consistently running the ball with authority. They did not allow big plays, and they owned the momentum for most of the game.