This Friday, the Middletown Knights face stiff competition against a tough Linganore Lancers squad.

Picked to finish first in the Chesapeake conference, Linganore currently holds a 4 – 0 record (2 – 0 MVAL, 1 – 0 Chesapeake). Leading the conference in points scored (34.5 points per game), and points allowed (5.3 ppg), Linganore looks to improve on a 42 – 0 blowout against Middletown last year, when the Lancers fell one win shy of making the playoffs. Returning six starters on offense and seven on defense, Linganore looks to lead the toughest conference in the MVAL, though it may be the toughest it has ever been. Beating rival Thomas Johnson High School 17 – 13 last week, the Lancers took the critical first step toward reaching their goal.

Linganore runs into a Middletown team which has thus far underachieved on the field. The Knights started the season with a sloppy 14 – 7 win over the Liberty Lions, a team picked to finish second in the Blue Ridge Conference, and which the Knights trounced last year 53 – 36. In the much anticipated debut of the new Knights Field, the new stadium in which the Knights now play, Middletown faltered against a tough underrated Century Knights squad.

Linganore fields a squad ranked first in the MVAL Power Poll, with players ranking high in the conference in every major statistical category on offense. Zach Zwinak, a running back, is tied for first with five total touchdowns. Ryan Dixon, a wide receiver, and Nick Marth, a quarterback, is tied for fourth with four TDs. Ranking sixth and seventh in rushing yards are Zwinak and Pat Balderson, who have compiled 175 and 173 yards respectively. Marth ranks third in the conference with 191 pass yards and 13 completions, while ranking second with four passing TDs and completing 62 percent of his passes. Dixon is fifth in receiving yards with 143, third in receptions with 11, and first in receiving TDs with four. No Linganore player is recorded as being in the top three in any defensive category (tackles, sacks, interceptions).

Middletown is fifth in the Power Poll, with players in the top six of every category, offense and defense, for the conference. The Middletown offense is ranked first in points scored, with 17 ppg, and points allowed, 10 ppg. Rob Michels is clearly the Knights’ impact player, ranking second in total TDs (with three), first in passing yards (with 445), completions (with 32), and passing TDs (with three), while placing third in the conference by completing 39.5% of his passes. Koby Cavanagh leads the Knights with 132 rush yards, fourth in the conference, and Tony Boyer ranks sixth with 119 yards. Patrick Ryan is second in receiving yards with 152, while third in receptions with seven. Cavanagh is tied for sixth with six receptions, with Adam Dulberger. On the defensive side of the ball, Boyer and Cavanagh are second and third in tackles, with 40 and 33 respectively. Patrick Weiss has 1.5 sacks, ranking him fifth in the conference. Adam Dulberger leads the Piedmont Conference with two interceptions.

One subplot that sticks out is the disparity in head coaching success. This is Kevin Lynott’s first year at Middletown, but he only posted a 25 – 28 overall record in five seasons at Brunswick with one playoff appearance. Coach Rick Conner of Linganore has significantly more wins, regular season and post season, than Coach Lynott. Posting a 55 – 16 record in six years at Linganore (64 – 37 overall), Conner’s teams have been to the playoffs five times, including three MVAL titles and one state championship.

Records of head coaches have little bearing on “any given Sunday,” a saying used to promote that any team has a chance to win, and any time it plays, regardless of the odds, it can play above expectations.

At this point, it will certainly be a fight for Middletown, but there is no doubting the potential for this to be a dog fight that won’t be decided until the final minutes.

Tune in after the game to get a post-game blog, and tune in for future match-ups and scores for Middletown games, as soon as they happen.