Explosive Mikes offense too much for Mapletown
CARMICHAELS – Mapletown found out on Friday night what the rest of Carmichaels’ opponents have learned so far this season: Containing the Mikes’ offense is like trying to handle nitroglycerin. One little slip-up and it explodes. The Mikes churned out 444 total yards, including 398 on the ground, in rolling to their fifth victory in a row with a 40-7 rout over the visiting Maples.
Coach John Menhart’s squad improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the Tri-County South Conference.
Mapletown fell to 2-3 and 1-2.
The Mikes now lead the all-time series, 47-18-2.
Although Carmichaels has scored at least 30 points in every game and 40 or more three times, its scoring average actually dropped slightly to 42.4.
That’s of little concern to Menhart, however.
“You just want to win,” Menhart said. “I don’t care how many points we score as long as it’s more than the other team.”
Colby Giles led the Mikes’ ground game with 129 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries. Bobby Hathaway, the area’s leading rusher, rolled up 119 yards and two TDs on 16 attempts. Quarterback Jono Menhart added 88 yards on 11 runs and completed two of four passes, both to Hathaway, for 46 yards and a score.
Mapletown tried to jam the line of scrimmage in order to slow down the Mikes’ powerful running game, but succeeded only sporadically.
“The line did a good tonight, and so did (fullback) Justin Zielensky,” Hathaway said. “The holes were there. We just had to run through them.”
“We knew we could run the ball,” said Menhart, who commended his entire front line of center Jake Hathaway, guards Gary Johnson and Matt Dickey, tackles Stephen Penich and Josh Grim, and tight ends Jeff Lapkowicz and Jared Lapkowicz.
“It’s not easy up there,” Menhart added. “They were throwing everything they could think of at us, and the linemen have to recognize it and adjust to it, and then pick up any audibles Jono might call as well. They did a good job tonight.”
The Maples’ offense favored the air over the ground, and gave the Mikes some problems in the first half. Quarterback Drew Denham led his team on marches into Carmichaels territory on each of its first two drives.
Denham was four for six for 45 yards on Mapletown’s first possession, including a third-and-11 connection with Andy Latusek for 13 yards. The Mikes’ sacked Denham and forced a fumble on the 10th play of the drive, though, and Penich recovered for Carmichaels.
The Mikes’ offense picked up first downs on its first three plays from there on runs of 19 and 16 yards by Hathaway sandwiched around an 18-yard bolt by Giles. Menhart then ran seven yards to the three-yard line and Hathaway scored on the next play. Jim Henrish’s extra-point kick made it 7-0.
Denham again led the his team across midfield on Mapletown’s second possession. He completed a fourth-and-five pass to Buckhalter for seven yards with a 15-yard penalty tacked on to get to the Carmichaels 12. Two runs by Latusek put the ball at the five-yard line, but Carmichaels’ defense stiffened from there, forcing Denham into incompletions on third and fourth down, with Jared Lapkowicz breaking up the latter pass.
The Mikes moved methodically down the field after that, covering 95 yards on nine plays with Giles capping the drive with an eight-yard touchdown run 1:12 into the second quarter. The extra-point kick was no good, leaving the hosts up 13-0.
Josh Novotny recovered a fumble two plays later on the Mapletown 38, and the Mikes moved into the end zone again, this time taking seven plays with Hathaway scoring from eight yards out with 5:57 left in the half. The Maples’ defense stacked up Giles on the two-point conversion run to keep the score at 19-0.
For the third time in the first half, Mapletown went on an extended drive, this one covering 10 plays, including a two-yard run by Latusek on fourth and one, before it was forced to punt.
Buckhalter pinned the Mikes down at their own 11 with a 43-yard punt, though, and the Mikes’ first-string offense made one of its few mistakes on the next play. A fumble was recovered by Mapletown’s Zach Grim at the Carmichaels nine, and Denham hooked up with Buckhalter again on a down-and-out pattern for a four-yard touchdown on fourth and goal.
Latusek’s extra-point kick made it 19-7 at the half.
“We had a hard time adjusting to their passing because we hadn’t seen that much passing before this game,” Hathaway said.
“Denham really threw the ball well and Latusek and Buckhalter made some great catches,” Mapletown coach George Messich said.
Buckhalter pulled seven receptions for 66 yards and Latusek made four grabs for 36 yards. Jayce Donley caught two passes for nine yards.
“I feel good about the way we played in the first half. I thought we moved the ball better against them than most teams had.”
Menhart and the Mikes made some adjustments in the second half.
“They protected the quarterback really well and they’ve got two good receivers,” Menhart said. “Actually, our coverage was pretty good, but he got the ball to them.
“We pressed in the first half, but in the second half we walked the corners off and put more people in the zone to try and keep everything underneath us and try to react to the ball.”
The strategy worked as Denham completed only three of 11 passes in the second half for 23 yards as the Mikes pulled away for the win. Altogether, he connected on 14 of 32 throws for 111 yards with no interceptions, and picked off one pass on defense.
“I’m very impressed with Carmichaels football team,” Messich said. “They’re big and strong and they run the ball with authority. They’re one of the nicest Class A teams I’ve seen in a long time. The next three games (California, at Geibel Catholic, and Frazier) will be very interesting for us. Believe it or not, I think this game will help us more than hurt us going into those games.”