The offensive linemen — the quiet backbone of the top-seeded Middies’ playoff run — crowded around the table, cracking jokes, talking football, piling food high and proving why their bond might be the most important thing carrying Middletown into its biggest game in 35 years.
“They all hang tough together and are great friends, but they’re all characters,” Nick Pendleton said. “They spend the night at different places every weekend. I think that relationship has helped our offense tremendously. Great group of kids. I love it.”
That unity, built as much in living rooms and kitchens as in the trenches, is a driving force behind the Middies’ surge to Friday’s Division I, Region 2 final against No. 6 Wayne (9-4) at Trotwood-Madison.
Middletown (10-2) has reached its first regional final since 1990 — 34 years removed from the last time the Middies were on this stage.
And while Middletown has weapons across the field, head coach Kali Jones is clear about where part of this season’s run begins — up front.
“They’ve grown, really, as a unit,” Jones said. “No individual really stands out. They really don’t take in a lot of the attention. They’ve come together to get the job done.”
That job? Powering an offense that averages more than 300 yards per game, including 135.5 rushing yards, while helping the Middies score 25 points a game.
“They’re really selfless,” Jones said. “They don’t get any ink. They hear me getting on them all the time. But they’re the embodiment of being selfless over selfish.”
The core of the group includes senior left tackle Crayton Wood, junior right tackle Riley Fletcher, senior left guard Juvonte Pendleton, senior right guard Colton Cain, junior center Keegan Stacy and junior two-way lineman Jaiden Davis.
They’ve done it while battered, bruised and sometimes barely able to practice.
Fletcher plays through a knee injury. Stacy fights through knee issues of his own. Cain has battled an ankle injury. Wood missed significant snaps against Springfield. Davis has been forced to play both ways for stretches.
“They’re putting it all out there,” Jones said.
Davis said none of this has surprised him — not the growth, not the wins, not the pressure moments.
“It’s been memorable,” Davis said. “Nobody’s ever going to forget this. We’ve made history this year. There’s nobody else I’d rather stand by than these boys.”
The linemen spoke about their bond the same way they spoke about blocking assignments — matter-of-fact, confident and full of belief in one another.
“We’ve been at the top, but there’s been times in practice where we pushed each other,” Davis said. “Nothing but love between these boys.”
Juvonte Pendleton echoed it.
“We listen to Coach Jones and trust our coaches,” Pendleton said. “We saw very early on we were going to do something good. The energy was high. It still is.”
Stacy said the breakthrough didn’t happen under the Friday night lights — it happened months earlier.
“During the offseason, us bonding together, putting in all the time and effort, really working as a unit to understand everything — it helped us as the season progressed,” Stacy said. “We knew we were going to go far.”
“We knew we deserved to be here,” Wood agreed. “We knew what we could do.”
Now the Middies are the only Butler County team left standing, which is a badge the linemen carry with pride.
“Especially since we lost to our rivals in the regular season,” Stacy said. “We’re one of the most doubted teams in the county. It’s great to prove people wrong.”
As for Friday’s showdown with Wayne — a team that ended Middletown’s season in last year’s first round — the offensive line knows exactly what their role must be.
“The focus is just making sure we know our assignments,” Fletcher said. “Calling out people on the defense. Establishing the run.”
“Execute at a high level. Communicate,” Cain chimed in. “If you mess up, move on to the next play.”
They’ll do it while taped up, hurting and still smiling — just like they were at the Pendleton dining room table Wednesday night.
“They don’t get praise, but they take pride in being selfless,” Jones said. “They’re everything you want in a unit.”
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