Ben Murphy
Sports Scene
The Midland High football team isn’t used to losing. That’s why the Chemics 21-7 loss to Mt. Pleasant in week one this season did not make coach Eric Methner happy.
“Plain and simple, Mt. Pleasant played better than we did,” he said. “Our offensive execution was poor. I felt MP’s defense was playing harder and faster than us, which was certainly disappointing. Defensively we gave up a couple of big plays that turned out to be the difference in the game.”
Since that time. however. the tide has turned dramatically in the favor of Methner’s squad. The Chemics have won three games in a row, all in convof them in convincing fashion, shutting out each team they’ve faced to improve to 3-1.
In week two, Midland topped Saginaw High 40-0, behind a 112-yard and three touchdown rushing performance by Avery Chatman.
“We always look for improvements each and every week from our team,” Methner said. “I felt we made great improvements from week one to week two. I was proud of the resilience of our team. They came out to practice and showed a lot of determination after a tough loss. We also tweaked a few things scheme-wise to match our personnel, and I think those changes have been positive.”
Week three saw the Chemics top Heritage 49-0, with Chatman running for three scores and 134 yards. Paul Lynch managed the passing game, completing 15 of 19 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns.
“Paul is one of our team leaders, and he’s playing extremely well right now,” Methner said.
Week four victims were Arthur Hill, 66-0, with Chatman running for three touchdowns for the third consecutive week, running for 154 yards total. Scott Naples ran for 100 yards and one touchdown, and Lynch threw for two more scores and 89 yards.
“Our offensive execution has certainly improved,” Methner said. “We’ve been pretty balanced and our offensive line has made steady progress. At times they’ve been the dominant force we had hoped for. Defensively, we’re getting a lot of guys to the ball, and we’re doing a great job in the secondary. We’ve played pretty well the last couple of weeks, but we still have some areas we need to improve upon.”
Although the stretch run for Midland includes playing rivals Bay City Western and H H Dow, he’s confident his team will make the playoffs for the tenth straight season.
“We are looking for improvement each and every week,” Methner said. “We try to pay great attention to detail, which is so important if you want to continuously make improvements. That’s what we’re striving for. We want to be the best team we can be at the end of the season, and be dangerous in the playoffs.”