Preps

Middleton 21, Jefferson 19

By BRYAN BURNS, Times Correspondent
Published November 10, 2007

TAMPA - Middleton failed to advance to the playoffs for the second year in a row, but its season-ending 21-19 victory over Jefferson gives the Tigers at least a positive memory to carry into the offseason.

Two third-quarter touchdown passes from Middleton quarterback DeAndre Presley broke a 7-7 halftime tie to give the Tigers control of a tight contest and a 21-7 lead. Presley, who finished 6-for-12 for 101 yards and three touchdowns, found Carlton Jones in the end zone from 27 yards to give Middleton (6-4, 1-3) its first lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Jefferson failed to field the ball and Middleton recovered, giving the Tigers great field position at the Dragons' 29-yard line. Three plays later, Presley hit Denario Johnson on a 32-yard skinny post pattern for what would prove to be the game-winning touchdown.

"I felt like we went in at halftime and did a good job of making adjustments," Middleton coach Harry Hubbard said. "The kids believed in what we were telling them, and, because of that, good things happened."

Jefferson (4-6, 2-1), which had already secured a playoff spot, scored twice in the fourth quarter to rally, but a blocked extra point and a failed two-point conversion - which came from the 17-yard-line after a celebration penalty - did the Dragons in.

Early in the fourth quarter on a fourth-and-goal from the Middleton 6, Jefferson quarterback Zack Grossi hit Lester Lewis on a fade in the corner of the end zone to bring the Dragons to within eight (Middleton's Jarryd Reid blocked the extra point attempt).

With Middleton attempting to run out the clock deep in its own territory and a little over two minutes remaining, Jefferson's Rico Valdez stripped Presley of the ball at the 7-yard line and returned it for a touchdown. Jefferson was flagged for excessive celebration after an apparent chest bump between two Dragons players and the subsequent two-point conversion from the 17 was intercepted by Middleton's Phillip Jones to seal the win.

"We wanted to win tonight; we treated it like any other game," Jefferson coach Mike Fenton said. "But, we also did some different things to get ready for the playoffs ... sometimes we come out and look like a million bucks, and sometimes we look like we haven't played before."

[Last modified November 9, 2007, 23:52:30]