OK, so maybe this is it. Maybe this is the week that Madison is forced to play a full four quarters and 48 minutes of football.
The Bulldogs are at 6-0, are the No. 1-ranked team in Eight-Man I and have mercy-ruled four straight opponents. You have to go back to Week 2, when the Bulldogs beat Flinthills 50-14, to find the last time they didn’t wrap things up before zeroes appeared on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter.
Why should that change? Well, in this Friday’s visitor, undefeated Crest, Madison coach Fred McClain sees the best team the Bulldogs will have faced this year.
“I think without a doubt,” McClain said. “But I think we’ve played some pretty good teams. When we’ve played those pretty good teams, we’ve just jumped out on ’em early and got ’em out of their rhythm. But Crest definitely creates some problems. They can score; their defense seems like it’s much-improved over last year.
“They’re a pretty good football team, and we need to play a pretty good football team right now. If we do qualify and go to the playoffs, it’s good to find out a little bit about ourselves.”
Crest certainly hasn’t dominated quite like Madison has — the Lancers have just one shutout to the Bulldogs’ three and gave up 22 points in last week’s win over Marmaton Valley. But they’ve only been challenged once, beating St. Paul 44-38 in Week 1. Two weeks ago, they mercy-ruled Hartford in a 58-8 smackdown. Their playmaking brothers, running back Bryan Newton and tight end Brandon Newton, have been trouble for opponents all year long. Bryan has 585 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns; Brandon has 20 catches, nine of which have been for scores.
Madison hasn’t had to respond to the proverbial punch in the mouth all season. If they finally get challenged this week, how will they respond?
“We talk about, ‘We’re gonna be tested, we’re gonna be behind some day, and how are we gonna react to it, and (if) it’s in the fourth quarter when we gotta pull the game out, how are we gonna react?’” McClain said. “We talk about playing together and staying together and hanging tough, and you prepare for those things. But you’re going into kind of a dark closet, and you don’t know how you’re going to come out the other end, what can you do? But I have faith in our guys. We have good leadership, we practice hard.”
Madison’s own weapons continue to post great performances. Caleb Hamilton has been the Lyon County League’s most dangerous running back, averaging a staggering 14.7 yards per carry. Hamilton’s rushing total — 630 yards on 43 carries — has undeniably been hurt by the Bulldogs’ knack for ending the game early. That 630-yard total ranks third in the league behind Flinthills’ Garrett Breech (837) and Waverly’s Chris Restoff (698).
Hamilton also has 254 yards receiving, tied for fourth in the league, on just 13 catches, and is tied for the league lead in TDs with teammate Michael Luthi; both have 17. Luthi ranks sixth in the league in rushing and is averaging nine yards per carry.
Defensively, Luthi and Henry Ott are making a case for All-Lyon County League honors. Luthi ranks second in the league in sacks/solo tackles for loss with 10 and ranks sixth in tackles with 67. Ott has a league-leading four interceptions on the year and on special teams has blocked two kicks.
McClain said the Bulldogs haven’t talked much about winning a state title, and that there’s still a long way to go through districts, “so there’s no sense getting too excited about the party at the end until you get the invitation.” But for Madison, which hasn’t won a state football title since its Class 1A championship in 1984, the thought of that trophy has to be on the brain. A dominant win over Crest would further solidify the Bulldogs’ claim as the best team in Eight-Man I.
“This has been a real enjoyable year,” McClain said, “and not so much the fact that we’re 6-0. It’s just, I’ve been able to coach and (leave) the leadership to the seniors and the upperclassmen, and they’ve been doing a nice job.”