The scoreboard says 29-7. The film says Middletown had to earn every inch of it, and that’s why this one is worth watching instead of just reading.
Friday Night Films took its cameras to Faller Field for the Game of the Week. The matchup was unbeaten Middletown against a Valley Central team that was so impressive at Kingston the week before that we followed the Vikings to Middletown. What came back is a full cinematic film: the pep band in the concourse, the sunset over the field, the hits, the turnover chain and the postgame, all cut into chapters. Nobody else in the area is making high school football films that look like this.
Here’s what the final score hides. For three quarters, this was a fight.
The first-half swing came on a play the film lets you watch twice. Middletown was pinned at its own one-yard line in a scoreless game when quarterback Joseph “JoJo” Royal kept looking downfield and let it go. The result was a 99-yard touchdown. Royal says head coach Tim Strenfel asked the huddle beforehand if they were ready for a 99-yard touchdown pass. Then the play they called worked just as it was drawn up. “I knew where I was going to throw the ball and it just happened,” Royal said.
Valley Central’s defense never went away. The Vikings squeezed the field, and cornerback Elijah Struther had his sixth interception in five games. Even down 15-0, Valley Central skipped the field goal and went for it, finally scoring on a halfback option to make it 15-7 at halftime. Middletown’s offense had to work for everything it got.
The second half was where it turned. Two late touchdown drives made it 14-0 in the half, 29-7 overall, and then linebacker Andre Manajh made the final interception over the middle. He had the turnover chain on before he reached the sideline.
Strenfel wasn’t celebrating, though. “I understand our record is 6-0, but I don’t think we have played a full game yet,” he said. That’s the line that tells you what kind of team Middletown wants to be. He also said that his team has played for a section championship in five of the last six years “but still our name is not there,” while the conversation in Section 9 stays on Monroe-Woodbury and Newburgh.
That’s the opening Middletown has next. Newburgh comes to Fowler Field, and Strenfel says it’s the one you circle on the calendar. Royal, who wears “Everything for grandpa” on his nose guard for the grandfather he lost in 2024, said it plainly: celebrate tonight, then get to work on Newburgh.
For anyone who wants the full picture, watch the film. It’s Section 9 football in 15 minutes, and next week it’s the biggest game in the section.
