WHITE RIVER JUNCTION – The Middlebury Union High School football team improved to 2-0 by thumping host Hartford on Friday night, 34-14. The Hurricanes dropped to 1-1.
The Tigers’ win sets up a home matchup this Friday of early-season Division I unbeatens: Colchester, also 2-0, visits Doc Collins Field at 7 p.m. The Lakers have posted wins over South Burlington and Champlain Valley.
This past Friday, Hartford made it 7-0 when John Dilecki capped a drive with a 15-yard run at 8:10 of the opening quarter.
But the Tigers scored the next 34 points. On the Tigers’ second play on their next possession, quarterback Austin Robinson (eight carries, 147 yards, three TDs) bolted 71 yards, and the first of four Nathan Lalonde points-after tied the score at 6:44 of the first.
Later in the quarter, Cullen Hathaway dashed 51 yards to make it 14-7, and midway through the second period Robinson took a punt return 59 yards to the end zone to make it 21-7 at the half.
At 4:54 of the third quarter, Robinson hit Bobby Ritter with a short pass, and Ritter broke it for a 62-yard score. The ensuing kickoff hit a Hartford player, and the Tigers recovered. Soon after, Robinson tacked on a 48-yard run for the final MUHS TD.
Hartford got on the board in the fourth on a 49-yard pass from Gavin Farnsworth to Codi Smith.
In all, the Tigers outgained Hartford, 439-320, and rushed for 372 yards, with nine backs carrying the ball. Hartford ran 44 times for 236 yards, and Farnsworth completed seven of nine passes for 84 more.