Middletown had waited 32 years to beat Newburgh at home. On Friday at Fowler Field, the Section 9 game of the year lived up to every bit of its billing, and Friday Night Films was there to capture all of it. Middletown won 33-22.
The film shows what a box score can’t: a long line of fans waiting to get in, a 30-minute kickoff delay for thunder and lightning, and rain falling through most of the game. Last week, right after beating Valley Central, Middletown said it was all about Newburgh. This was the game that followed.
It was back and forth from the start. Middletown wanted to beat you deep and Newburgh wanted to beat you down. RJ Tinsley, the receiver the broadcast booth calls “the silent assassin,” scored on an incredible catch and run, and the Goldbacks answered. Then came a goal-line stand that deserves a replay: Newburgh stopped Middletown on four straight downs. The Goldbacks led 14-13 at the half after a blocked extra point.
The fourth quarter is the reason to watch. Tinsley scored again, and the two sides traded punches. With five minutes left, Newburgh had to punt, and a Middletown block was ruled roughing the kicker, which kept the drive alive. The Goldbacks scored and took a 22-19 lead with 90 seconds to play.
Then Joseph “JoJo” Royal took over. Royal moved Middletown down the field with short passes and a throw that got out of bounds to stop the clock. With about 30 seconds left, he punched in the go-ahead score himself. Newburgh’s last chance ended in an interception, and Middletown iced the game 33-22.
What the coach and players said. Head coach Tim Strenfel said he thought the punt was partially blocked by his player, which would mean it wasn’t a penalty, but added “refs make decisions.” He said he was never going for a tie: “not in home, not when we haven’t done it in 32 years.” He said the team is starting to believe in itself, and that it had its best pregame practice of the season the day before. Tinsley said the team’s goal is simple: “dome or bust.”
For years, Strenfel said, Newburgh and Monroe-Woodbury have been the teams people talk about in Section 9. After this game, Middletown is part of that conversation. As the broadcast put it, the two teams may meet again in the playoffs.
Chapters in the film: Kickoff, Newburgh goal-line stand, Newburgh takes the lead, the game-winning drive, the celebration, postgame with Strenfel, postgame with Tinsley.
