Galion QB Elias Middleton runs for 182 yards, passes for 117, two TDs
CAREY — For week two of the high school football season, the Galion Tigers took to the road and headed to Carey for a meeting with the hosting Blue Devils.
Galion senior quarterback Elias Middleton continue his strong play vs. Carey. He rushed 32 times for 182 yards and completed 11 of 16 passes for 117 yards.
After a stagnant first quarter for both teams, the offense for the visiting Tigers would come alive in the second quarter en route to a 35-26 victory over the Blue Devils.
The first 14 minutes of the contest would see zero activity on the scoreboard but Galion would change that with 9:25 remaining in the first half. Senior Colbey Fox would put the Tigers on the board with a one-yard touchdown run with Dominic Pittman tacking on the extra-point attempt to make it 7-0 in favor of the visitors. Just moments later, the Tigers would put up another seven points thanks to a 26-yard aerial touchdown from senior quarterback Elias Middleton to junior wideout Isaiah Alsip. Pittman would once again add the PAT to make it 14-0. Pittman would score points three, four and five later in the second by splitting the uprights for a 30-yard field goal to distance Galion further at 17-0. Carey would final make it onto the board with 1:44 remaining in the half as quarterback Ethan Berringer hit Jordan Dasher for a 57-yard touchdown but the Devils would miss the PAT to cut into the Galion lead 17-6. However, Pittman had other ideas on the score as he hit his second, 30-yard field goal of the half as time expired to send the Tigers into the intermission up 20-6.
In the third, the Blue Devils would hold the high-octane Galion offense at bay and managed to slash the lead further as Berringer connected with Griffin Summit for a 28-yard touchdown. Carey would add-on the two-point conversion to draw within six points; 20-14.
Nearly seven minutes into the final quarter, Middleton would toss his second touchdown of the contest, this time connecting with Kalib Griffin from 14 yards to make it 26-14. Galion would go for two and Middleton found Alsip to make it 28-14 Tigers. Carey would prove that they were not ready to go down without a fight as Summit scampered in for a three-yard touchdown run and after a missed extra-point attempt, it would be 28-20. Middleton would have a response for the blue and orange though as he ran in a score of his own from two yards out and Pittman tacked on another PAT to make it 35-20 with less than four minutes remaining in regulation. Berringer would find Summit for the second time in the contest, this time from 45 yards but the Blue Devils failed to convert the extra-point. The time would expire on the Carey comeback attempt as Galion moves to 2-0 on the season with the 35-26 victory.
The visiting Tigers controlled the ball for the vast majority of the game, racking up a time of possession of 33:06 to the Devils’ 14:03. Galion would also surpass Carey on total yardage, recording 353 total yards (117 passing, 236 rushing) which led to 21 first downs while their hosts managed 204 yards (164 passing, 40 rushing), good for just 11 first downs.
Both teams would see their fair share of penalty flags on the evening. Galion was flagged a total of nine times for 80 yards and Carey racked up 45 yards on eight penalties. The Blue Devils also were haunted by turnovers, committing four on the night to just one on the Tigers side of the ball.
In addition to Middleton’s yardage on the ground, Fox picked up 51 yards on a dozen carries, good for a touchdown. Griffin was the Galion quarterback’s main target, snagging six receptions for 77 yards and a TD.
Other statistics for the Tigers in the win were: Trevor O’Brien- 5 carries, 3 yards, 1 catch, 5 yards; Alsip- 1 catch, 26 yards, interception on defense; Gage Lackey- 1 catch, 8 yards; Hanif Donaldson- 1 catch, 1 yard and Pittman- 2/2 field goals and 3/3 PAT.
For their week three matchup, Galion will be on the road against another Northern-10 Athletic Conference squad in the likes of the Upper Sandusky Rams. Upper downed Mount Gilead 40-14 to move to 2-0 on the season. The Tigers will begin their Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference portion of their schedule in week four on Friday, September 14 when they play hosts to the Pleasant Spartans at Unckrich Stadium in Heise Park.
