Middletown running back Josh Keeney stood near midfield in the pouring rain, covered with mud from head to toe. The muck soaked his white road uniform in every possible spot and even found its way onto his face.
But there could be no doubt about the winner. Keeney ran for 289 yards and three touchdowns yesterday, including two clutch scores late in the fourth quarter that helped visiting Middletown seal a 28-10 victory over No. 6 Glenelg in a Class 2A state quarterfinal.
Seventh-seeded Middletown (10-1), which finished with 450 yards rushing, advanced to the state semifinals against sixth-seeded Wicomico. Second-seeded Glenelg finished the season at 10-1 - not having lost since falling to Middletown, 7-0, in a state quarterfinal last year.
Glenelg coach John Davis said the Gladiators were well aware of Keeney, a senior. He came into the game with 1,916 yards rushing. In adding the 289 on 27 carries, he improved to 2,205 for the season and 4,013 for his career. The game was played in a downpour that turned the field into a quagmire, but it didn't bother Keeney in the least.
"This weather [is] great to run in," Keeney said. "The line did a good job today. That's the bottom line."
Glenelg scored on the first play from scrimmage when Tim Siders (144 yards) broke free for a 68-yard touchdown. But Middletown tied it in the second quarter when quarterback Tyler Lushbaugh scored on a 13-yard run. Keeney added a 5-yard touchdown run with 2:41 left in the half for a 14-7 lead.
The Gladiators cut it to 14-10 when Josh Isaacs booted a 21-yard field goal with 0.9 of a second left in the half. Siders ran for 133 yards in the first half, and Glenelg totaled 197 yards of total offense. But Middletown shut down the Gladiators after that. Siders ran for 11 yards in the second half, and Glenelg totaled only 81.
The best Glenelg drive came midway through the fourth quarter, but the Gladiators stalled and had to punt from the Middletown 39. The Knights started from their 11, and Keeney broke a 69-yard run three plays later to put the Knights at the Glenelg 13. He scored on the next play to make it 21-10 with 4:54 left.
"The long run, that was the back breaker," Davis said. "They're a good team, and they're good at what they do."
The Gladiators then turned it over on downs at their 35. Keeney followed on the next play with a 35-yard touchdown run with 3:22 remaining.
"I don't think we expected to do [this well] on the ground," Lushbaugh said. "A lot of those big runs came on check-offs because we knew there'd be nothing they could do about it."