LEROY – Due to a shortage of officials across the state, the 6-Man football contest between Altoona-Midway and Southern Coffey County here Friday was moved to an afternoon start because the officials were pulling double-duty at another game later that evening.
Well, the Jets and the Titans helped make sure the game officials had plenty of time to make their second appointment. Altoona-Midway raced to an early 37-0 lead after just one period of play, while the Titans decided to pull the plug on the game and forfeited just 39 seconds into the second quarter, citing a shortage of players due to injuries and heat issues.
With the shutout victory, Altoona-Midway evened its overall mark to 2-2 and is now 1-2 in 6-Man, District 1 play.
Southern Coffey County fell to 0-5 overall and 0-3 in district action.
“The boys played exceptionally well as a team today for the time they were out there,” said Altoona-Midway coach Randy Almond. “Everyone had great attitudes and we had really good team play.
“I was really pleased by the way the defense stepped up today,” Almond added. “The defense was led by Kieran Foster, who had six unassisted tackles and eight total – as well as three sacks - in just a quarter of action. Kieran also led the offense at quarterback, throwing for four TDs.”
But Almond was quick to point out that the lopsided victory was a result of a total team effort.
“Everyone contributed today. Seniors William Stackhouse and Joey Lamendola played very well on both sides of the ball,” Almond commented. “Underclassman Kage Beck also got on the board on offense and played great at defensive end. Taj Chism played very well at center and also added a great kicking game.
“Freshman Chance Carter played Iron Man football and was very solid on both sides of the ball,” Almond continued, “while Kenny Smith and Nolan Lampe gave the starters some much-needed breaks and also saw some quality minutes today.”
Foster’s tremendous outing also included a 9-for-11, four-TD passing performance. Stackhouse and Beck had three catches apiece and were each on the receiving end of two aerial scores.
Stackhouse and Lamendola each added rushing touchdowns, with Lamendola churning out 92 yards on just four carries.
In addition to Foster’s standout defensive effort, Stackhouse tallied three tackles, Lamendola two, and Chism one. Chism also had a fumble recovery and Lamendola grabbed an interception.
“We blocked and tackled much better today,” Almond noted. “We had no turnovers and minimal penalties, and that’s a good recipe for success.
“I also want to point out that even with it being a road game and having a 3 p.m. start, we still had very good fan support,” the coach mentioned. “We are very fortunate to have such a good fan base.”
Altoona-Midway will stay on the road for the third straight week when they travel to Chetopa (2-3) on Friday. That game will be a rematch of the season opener for both teams. The Hornets won the earlier contest 50-25.