“It’s got to be about our offensive line,” Dobrozsi said. “We’ve got a big line. They’ve been training all year. They definitely blew off their blocks and did a great job.”
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The Middies (1-2) played without injured starting quarterback Jarrenn Thomas, who through two games led the GMC with 385 passing yards and six touchdowns. Filling in was sophomore Kamari Fuller.
The game started with both teams having their opening offensive drives stalled on three-and-out series. On the second possession for the visitors, East (2-1) took control with a six-play, 74-yard touchdown drive capped by Dobrozi’s first TD run of 13 yards.
The drive was assisted by two big runs of over 20 yards. The extra-point kick was blocked by the Middies’ Cameron Junior.
Middletown was hit with a number of penalties, ending offensive drives and preventing any real opportunities in the first quarter.
In the second period, the Thunderhawks scored on a 37-yard pass from Sean Church to Christian Bodden. The senior tight end caught the ball near the 15-yard line and broke several tackles to scamper into the end zone to increase the lead to 12-0.
Middletown responded later in the quarter with an impressive 23-yard pass from Fuller to freshman receiver Will Williams, who jumped over a defender for the spectacular touchdown catch with 2:52 remaining in the half for a 12-7 score.
East came right back on its next offensive drive with a nine-play, 69-yard touchdown surge that took just over two minutes to complete. Dobrozsi barreled up the middle for his second TD, and the halftime score was 19-7 with rain pouring down and never letting up.
Dobrozsi added scoring runs in the third and fourth periods.
“We came out with a lot of energy early in the game,” Middletown coach Don Simpson said. “But we just couldn’t get anything going on the offensive side of the ball. The defense made a couple of big plays and made some stops. But football is a team sport, all three phases must be executed, and we weren’t able to in all three phases. We are still learning, and I’m still excited to learn how good we can be.”
Said East coach Rick Haynes, “This was a pretty good victory. We’ve got to play better. Next week is at Princeton, so we’ve got to get better.”
Church completed 4-of-6 passes for 85 yards and ran 10 times for 69 yards for the Thunderhawks, while Donny Wilkinson carried the ball seven times for 51 yards. On the defensive side, Adam Hundemer led the way with five tackles, and Hundemer and Jackson Leahy each made an interception.
Fuller was 11-of-17 for 68 yards through the air for the Middies, and Josh Bryant had 66 yards on 14 carries. Gene Underhill totaled 10 tackles.
Next Friday, East will travel to Princeton and the Middies will be at Colerain.
Lakota East 6-13-7-6—-32
Middletown 0-7-0-0—7
L: Jack Dobrozsi 13 run (Kick failed)
L: Christian Bodden 37 pass from Sean Church (Run failed)
M: Will Williams 23 pass from Kamari Fuller (Angel Rivera kick)
L: Dobrozsi 5 run (Evan Yablonsky kick)
L: Dobrozsi 4 run (Yablonsky kick)
L: Dobrozsi 6 run (Kick failed)
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