Might Middies The rise of the undefeated 2010 team

ALEC FULTZ, KYLE SCHWARBER, CHRIS SHORT, AND AARON KIMBROUGH (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT).

MIGHTY MIDDIES

Recalling the amazing rise of the undefeated 2010 team led by coach Jason Krause BY REID MAUS

■ ATHLETES IN THIS CITY stand the test of time. While companies and politicians come and go, the titans that once adorned the glorious purple Middie jerseys stay in our memories forever. Sometimes, what they accomplished on the field or court hangs in the rafters forever.

It’s the fall of 2010. Middletown, like its neighbor to the south, Hamilton, and so many other cities in the rust belt at the time, was feeling the effects of a great recession. While jobs were few and far between, there was one bright spot in the city. And that bright spot lit up the night’s sky every Friday at Barnitz stadium. The Middies, led by Jason Krause, had a season they’ll never forget.

After taking Monroe to the state Final Four twice in three seasons, Krause defected up the road to Middletown. Taking over a squad that won four games the previous season, and entering the Greater Miami Conference for the first time in his coaching career—this was a tall order for Krause. Luckily for the Middie faithful, he was the perfect coach for the time. In his first year (2008), the Middies improved their record by two wins, from 4-6 to 6-4. Though they missed the postseason, they got a touted win over Colerain (who went on to the regional championship).

In 2009, they took the next step. They went 9-1 in the regular season, with their lone loss against those pesky Cardinals of Colerain in a 10-7 nail-biter. In the postseason, they took down the men of Moeller 45-10, before losing to Anderson in the next round. The table was set for the best Middie season in 76 years.

Middletown high school has had two undefeated seasons in its history. The first was a 10-0 season back in 1934. The second was in 2010. Perhaps more impressive than that 2010 undefeated season was how the Middies outscored their opponents by a whopping 252-19.

Names that still echo through the halls of Middletown strapped up in purple that season. Kyle Schwarber, the MLB All-Star who famously helped the Cubs break their World Series curse, was an all-state linebacker and occasionally got handed the ball on the goal line. Jalin Marshall, who won a National Championship with the

Ohio State Buckeyes before entering the NFL draft, was the stand-out dualthreat quarterback for the Middies. Zach Edwards was a two-way star for Middletown before becoming a standout in the secondary for the University of Cincinnati.

In 2010, Middletown had eight FirstTeam, All-Conference players, as well as four Second-Team All-Conference athletes. First-Team honorees include: Kyle Schwarber, Jalin Marshall, Zach Edwards, Zach Davis, Alec Fultz, Wayne Gregory, Kevin Henderson, and Cody Quinn. Second-Team honors went to: Austin Downing, William Peters, Dylan Rowe, and Chris Short.

The Middies started the season off by dominating three non-conference opponents at home. They topped Simon Kenton 34-0, Troy 38-7, and Lima Senior 49-14.

In their first GMC game, they traveled to West Chester and beat Lakota West, 24-13. They followed that up by beating Butler County rival, Hamilton, 42-9.

In the next three games, they beat Sycamore, Mason, and Fairfield before facing their most challenging tasks of the season. Lakota East and Princeton to close out the season.

Against Lakota East, the Middies took a 35-21 lead into halftime. The Thunderhawks battled back and tied the game in the fourth quarter. Luckily, Middletown had Zach Edwards and Jalin Marshall. The pair both scored just a minute later, the latter being an 82-yard dash by Marshall, they beat the Hawks 49-35.

The next week, that same pair did it again. Edwards scored with 10 seconds left in the third quarter to give his squad the lead. Marshall put the nail in the coffin and put the Middies over Princeton 32-21.

The Middies perfect season was complete, 10-0. They were only the second team in school history to accomplish this. Unfortunately, they ran into a buzzsaw in the first round of the playoffs. Wayne, and their

quarterback Braxton Miller beat the Middies 21-0 and finished their season. In 2011 the Middies went 10-2, beating Centerville in the postseason. In the three years from 2009 to 2011, Middletown had a record of 30-5. In the decade since those seasons, Middletown hasn’t had a winning season and has won just 19 games.

Still, the undefeated season of 2010 will live on forever.

,In 2010, Middletown had eight First-Team, All-Conference players, as well as four Second-Team All-Conference athletes

KYLE SCHWARBER (LEFT), AND JALIN MARSHALL

JALIN MARSHALL