Middletown South football's Thanksgiving dominance against crosstown rival continues
MIDDLETOWN – In what’s become an increasingly rarer spectacle, Middletown still relishes the morning of Thanksgiving. The town hosted one of only three games held in the Shore Conference on the holiday.
Cars of people began filling the parking lot by 8 a.m., and tailgaters were in full swing well before the 10:35 start time. It seemed like half of the town had descended up Middletown South High School.
Amongst the massive event, there was still a game to be played. It was one that Middletown South dominated again.
Using a strong second half to turn a close game into a comfortable lead, the Eagles rolled to a 27-10 victory against crosstown rival Middletown North on Thanksgiving Day.
A win on Thanksgiving still means something in Middletown.
“If you’re a Middletown person, it’s obviously extremely special,” Middletown South head coach Steve Antonucci said. “It means a lot to them, it’s always a great atmosphere no matter the situation, whether the teams are playing well or not playing well. Bottom line is when you get here, you get caught up in the moment.”
The rivalry's history
Middletown South (9-2) has dominated this crosstown series, especially over the last two decades.
The Eagles have won 22 out of the last 23 meetings against Middletown North (3-6). That includes a 41-14 victory against the Lions in the North 2 Group 4 semifinals in 2015.
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They own the overall series record 35-12-1 and have gone 33-12-1 against the Lions on Thanksgiving.
“It’s good to go home on Thanksgiving and be able to eat knowing that you won, you beat your crosstown rivals,” Middletown South junior running back Colin Gallagher said. “You own the town right now.”
The Lions last beat the Eagles in 2016 when they won 24-6 on Thanksgiving.
Gallagher steps up
Donovan Summey, the Eagles’ workhorse running back, suffered a lower leg injury towards the end of the season, but gave it a go on Thanksgiving. After a few plays and just one carry, it became clear to Summey that he wasn’t healthy enough to play. He watched the rest of the game from the sidelines, making it back onto the field after halftime in a walking boot.
That meant Gallagher was called upon to pace the running game.
The junior scored three touchdowns, including the final three for Middletown South as the Eagles flipped a 7-7 tie into a 27-10 victory. He finished the game with 116 rushing yards on 18 carries.
“We have depth, and our offensive line is a bunch of dogs,” Gallagher said. “They’re going to push, and we’re going to fight until we can’t fight anymore.”
The performance earned Gallagher offensive MVP honors for the game.
“He’s a leader and a tremendous player. He’s become our guy,” Antonucci said. “Between him, (quarterback) Jake (Czwakiel) and Donovan, they’re three horses for us. They’re good football players, but today we needed to lean on Colin a little more, and he was up for the task.”
Start slow, finish fast
Gallagher’s touchdowns in the second, third and fourth quarters capped off a scoring stretch that started with a Brendan Silva rushing touchdown in the first quarter that tied the score at seven. Silva’s score followed Neno Morgan-Acker’s 58-yard rushing touchdown that gave the Lions an early 7-0 lead.
After that opening touchdown, the Eagles outscored the Eagles 27-3.
In what one Middletown North’s final drives, one that was promising and cut deep into South territory, Owen Richter picked off a pass to end any possibilities of a comeback, earning him defensive MVP honors.
“We’ve started not well in a lot of games,” Gallagher said. “We go into halftime, and the coaches make some great adjustments. We come on the field and do what we’re told.”
Middletown South 27, Middletown North 10
Middletown North (3-6) 7 3 0 0 – 10
Middletown South (9-2) 7 6 7 7 – 27
First quarter
MN: Morgan-Acker 58 run (Poole-Morgan kick)
MS: Silva 11 run (Czwakiel kick)
Second quarter
MS: Gallagher 4 run (Kick no good)
MN: Poole-Morgan 32 kick
Third quarter
MS: Gallagher 2 run (Czwakiel kick)
Fourth quarter
MS: Gallagher 1 run (Czwakiel kick)
Individual statistics
PASSING – MS: Czwakiel 9-11-0-90. MN: Sheehan 9-19-1-153.
RUSHING – MS: Gallagher 18-116, L. Curley 7-23, Czwakiel 7-13, Silva 4-25, Colleran 1-10, Q. Curley 1-5, Servidio 1-3. Summey 1-(-5). MN: Morgan-Acker 12-113, Soto 6-6, Spearman-Young 1-(-1).
RECEIVING – MS: Colleran 4-64, Wagner 2-16, Richter 1-10, Servidio 1-3, Q. Curley 1-(-3).
INTERCEPTIONS – MS: Richter.
Danny LoGiudice has covered local sports across New Jersey since 2014. Contact him at dlogiudice@gannettnj.com or @danny_logiudice on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore Conference NJ football: Middletown South beats Middletown North
