Quarterback Joseph Ward threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns in his return to the lineup, C.J. Bryant delivered a 95-yard interception return for a score, and Middletown’s defense completely suffocated Lebanon to record its third shutout of the season.
The Middies (9-2) advance to face Springfield in next week’s regional semifinal, while Lebanon (8-4) finished one of the most successful campaigns in program history.
It was the first meeting between Middletown and Lebanon — which sit 13 miles apart — since the Middies won 64-0 back in 1912.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
After missing multiple weeks, Ward showed flashes of sharpness and rust early but settled in to lead an efficient offensive attack that finished with 388 total yards.
His 23-yard touchdown pass to Ace Cooper opened the scoring in the first quarter, and a 21-yard strike to Zymir Reed in the third helped put the game out of reach.
But it was Middletown’s defense that defined the night — holding Lebanon to just 145 total yards, forcing two turnovers and allowing only 30 passing yards.
“We started off slow,” Jones said. “Obviously, JoJo not playing in four or five weeks was rusty, not trusting his reads early. We made it a little more difficult than it had to be in the first half. But we had penalties, we were sloppy, and that’s on us.
“But our defense — our defense is elite. They’ve been balling all year. C.J. Bryant is one of the best linebackers I’ve ever coached — one of the best in the GMC, period. Forget about size. He’s dominant.”
Bryant’s play turned a 17-0 game into a rout.
“That was like the Chicago Bears or Baltimore Ravens defense out there tonight,” Jones said. “We’ve built this team around defense. We knew what we had coming back. And they’ve been phenomenal.”
Lebanon coach Micah Faler didn’t mince words afterward. His Warriors battled, but couldn’t overcome Middletown’s dominant defensive front.
“I thought our defense played really, really tough,” Faler said. “After that first drive, when it’s 7-0, then 10-0 at halftime, I thought our guys fought their tails off for as long as they were on the field.
“I told some of the guys before the game, we had to run the football. That was the key. Because that’s the best front four we’ve seen all year. If we couldn’t establish the run, we were going to struggle to protect and throw the ball. And that’s exactly what happened.”
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
The Warriors managed 115 rushing yards on 28 attempts, with running back Logan Schmenk accounting for 66 of them.
Faler said the game’s biggest turning point came at the beginning of the fourth quarter, when Lebanon appeared poised to score inside the Middletown 5-yard line before a breakdown in pass protection led to disaster.
“That sequence on the 5-yard line — that’s massive,” Faler said. “We’re about to score, maybe make it 17-7, and instead it turns the other way. That’s football. One mistake in protection and we couldn’t get the ball out. Then they take one back 95 yards. That changes everything.”
Faler praised senior quarterback Luke Faler, his son, who battled through a high-grade ankle sprain since Week 5 just to finish the season.
“He used his legs to move us a little bit, but their D-line was just too tough,” Micah Faler said of Luke. “That’s the best defensive front we’ve seen.”
After the loss, Faler took time to reflect on how far the Warriors have come during his four-year tenure.
“I told the kids, think back to Week 1 against Northmont — that feels like forever ago,” Micah Faler said. “Look at what you’ve done since then. The overtime win over Loveland, the double-overtime battle with Turpin, the win last week — it’s been a heck of a ride.
“These seniors have raised the bar every single year,” the coach added. “We were 7-3 before, but we’d never gotten to eight wins. It’s been since the early 2000s, maybe 2003, since a Lebanon team’s done that. They’ve left this program in a better place.
“You see where the bar is now,. You see how it feels to fall short. So when you’re up at 4:30 a.m. in December, grinding, remember this. Because that’s what it takes to compete with teams like Middletown.”
Jones said the victory represents the next step in a complete program rebuild — and he reminded his players that they’ve entered uncharted territory.
“I told them, this is rare air,” Jones said. “Middletown’s never been to the third round. We’ve been to the playoffs before, but we’ve never advanced this far. So, yeah, it’s history tonight.
“We told them all week — make history. And they did. We’re Sweet 16, baby.”
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Jones credited his players for showing resilience despite penalties and first-half miscues.
“The first half was on us — silly penalties, lack of discipline. But when we put it together, it’s scary,” Jones said. “That 95-yard drive coming out from our own five-yard line in the third quarter? That’s who we can be.
“We can be elite when we execute, and we showed flashes of that tonight. That last scoring drive, 80 yards down the field, running the ball — that’s our identity. But this is part of rebuilding. You have flashes of brilliance, and you have growing pains. These kids are learning how to execute at a championship level.”
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