By Eric Pyles
The last Friday in October sent the Middletown football team to the sweetest place on earth. Unfortunately, the Blue Raiders came out of their overtime slug fest with the Milton Hershey Spartans with the bigger welt, dropping a 34-31 thriller that dropped their 2009 record to 6-3 with just the regular season finale with Palmyra remaining before the Blue Raiders head to the District 3 postseason.
The win also pushed the Spartans record to 6-3 with only their regular season finale against Trinity standing between Milton Hershey and the AA playoffs.
As for the thriller that took place on Henry Hershey Field, it was a back and forth contest that saw four ties and three lead changes before the final overtime whistle blew.
Rodney Ramsey got the scoring started with a one-yard plunge with ten minutes remaining in the opening frame.
The Spartans knotted the game up at 7-7 just under a minute and a half later when Jimmy Miller hit Mikeal Pecot for an 18-yard score.
The Blue Raiders answered right back with Aaron Lupia hooking up with brother Mike for a 70-yard strike that made it 14-7 Middletown with 8:21 remaining in the opening frame.
Milton Hershey closed out the action-packed first quarter with Miller and Pecot hooking up again, this time from eight yards out to make it 14-all.
Ramsey returned to the end zone with just over four minutes remaining in the half, breaking free for a 20-yard TD, to give Middletown its third seven-point lead of the day at 21-14.
The Spartans caught a break just before the half when Thomas Walker scooped up a fumble and returned it 72 yards for a score and a 21-21 game at the break.
Milton Hershey took its first lead of the game, 28-21, when Miller pushed his way in to the end zone from one yard out for the lone score of the third frame.
Ramsey made his third trip to the promised land with 1:32 left in the contest, tying the game for the fourth time with a one-yard score.
With regulation ending in a 28-28 tie the teams readied for overtime.
The Blue Raiders had first crack on offense in the extra session and had to settle for a 28-yard Jordan Murray field goal that gave them a 31-28 edge.
The Spartans finished the game just moments later when Miller scored his second one-yard TD of the night to set the 34-31 victory.
Although Ramsey scored three times he was held to just 53 yards rushing as Milton Hershey held Middletown to a meager 83 yards on the ground.
