MIDDLETOWN — Ben Haines has quite literally experienced the “…touch,” Landon Hofgesang has brought to the Middletown football club.
The two frequently face each other in reps, although Hofgesang is a first string on both the offense and defense, Haines being his backup. One of them is when Hofgesang gets into a position where he easily pancake his opposite lineman should the two of them be lower to the ground than him.
Haines would know.
“I mean you don’t know that until he has done it to you in practice and Joe Joe (Haines) made that statement and I don’t,” Rectenwald said.
But after second-quarter kickoff return Hofgesang exited the game with a leg injury against Walkersville in the Knights’ regular-season finale, it was Haines’ turn to be the guy causing the havoc and making the blocks.
Hofgesang has not played again and even though Haines, a junior, has taken charge of Middletown in the playoffs.
“Ben has been playing tackle his entire life so he knows what is going on with it,” senior lineman Hayden Smith said.
Even though Knights coach Collin Delauter stated that there is little to no possibility of Hofgesang playing in Friday’s Class 2A-1A state semifinal against Patuxent (12-0), Middletown (9-2) has not prepped as if Haines will start again.
These playoff games are first start of his high school career because he has only played in mop up roles in previous games that were blowouts. He had to come to grasp with the game’s speed very soon, I would dare say.
“That’s the first time and it is actually off the cuff like that and it was a bit nervy,” said Haines. “It was good and I felt good but after the first drive and second drive [against Walkersville], I was in the groove,”.
Hes the epitome of the next man up mentality that has defined the Knights as they ride the wave of sustained success for the program even when players of Hofgesangs caliber get injured.
“Honestly there was not much of a thinking process,” Delauter said. We knew he’s earned the spot, the opportunity to be called up, next so we knew he was gonna get in there and do the job good.
“He’s answered the challenge, and those are really difficult shoes to come into.”
