Midway Set To Make MSFL Playoff Debut At SMWC on Saturday
WEST TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Going into the first playoff game its ever competed in, the Midway sprint football team is an understandable underdog.
On Saturday, the fourth-seeded Eagles will look to pull a major upset over the Midwest Sprint Football League's top seed, 6-0 St. Mary of the Woods. Not only did the Pomeroys go undefeated this fall, they are very battled-tested, having played in each of the previous two MSFL championship games with a league title win in 2022.
But fresh off a big win to close the regular season, first-year coach Elbert Kern believes the Eagles are in position to be a tough out. Highlighting the halftime lead his team held the last time it played St. Mary of the Woods, he says his players need to be up for the moment when play begins Saturday afternoon.
"(Our players have) never experienced this before," Kern said of the matchup. "And now we've just got to turn it up a notch. We played with them week one, (now) we've just got to turn it up and get ready to go."
Here's a preview of Saturday's game, which kicks off at 2 p.m. at West Vigo High School in West Terre Haute, Ind.
LAST WEEK: MIDWAY 25, WALSH 12
The Eagles punched their ticket to the postseason with the most complete game in program history. The offense set new program records for total yards (347) and rushing yards (257) in a game, while the defense recorded seven sacks, also a single-game team record.
The offense relied on the 1-2 rushing punch of quarterback Christian Carter, who gained 111 yards rushing, and tailback Quintel Thomas, who topped the century mark for the third time in four games with a 104-yard effort. Both scored touchdowns on the ground, with Carter also throwing for a 38-yard score to Dameon Miller-Duerson.
Defensively, Gavin Lay, Peyton Brazier and Trenton Leach all had two sacks while combining for nine-and-a-half of Midway's 14 tackles for loss. Lay earned MSFL Defensive Player of the Week honors for his effort.
SCOUTING THE POMEROYS
SMWC is riding high, completing a spotless regular season with a convincing 36-17 win over Calumet (Ind.) in a battle of unbeaten teams last week. The Pomeroys were able to exact revenge on a Crimson Wave team that beat them for the 2023 MSFL title.
The Pomeroy offense has been the league's most prolific by a wide margin. Coming in, they are averaging 44 points per-game, 12.5 more than Bellarmine, the second-highest scoring unit in the MSFL.
Derron Hazzard leads a balanced run game with 501 yards and eight touchdowns. Quarterback Jeremiah Tosky has passed for 18, including six apiece to Marques Reese and Devron Johnson.
Reese has been electric all season, going for over 100 yards four times and gaining 662 yards.
The offense is countered by a defense that gives up just 17.3 points per-game, the second best total in the conference. The unit has scored three touchdowns this season, two of which came via pick-6s in a week-one matchup against Midway.
Though opportunistic, the secondary has been the most venerable spot of the team, surrendering an MSFL-high 223.2 passing yards per-game.
MATCHUP HISTORY
The Pomeroys are 3-0 all-time against the Eagles, topping 40 points in all three games. This included a 41-19 win in West Terre Haute in week one of this season.
Midway held a 17-14 halftime lead, thanks largely to Chase Williams scoring on a 57-yard pass and a 70-yard punt return. But things flipped out of the locker room, with SMWC holding a 28-2 scoring advantage in the second half.
Second halves are where the Pomeroys have been at their most dominant, outscoring their opponents 137-50.
Conversely, the Eagles have been outscored 114-38 in second halves, though they did hold a 17-12 edge over Walsh in the last two quarters last week, their first second-half edge of 2024.