Once again, Tanner Maddocks does it all as Fleetwood wins third straight
By Sam Cavalieri — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
There is nothing that Tanner Maddocks doesn’t do for the Fleetwood Tigers. Making critical reads can be added to the current list of run, pass, punt, kick, defend and intercept.
The senior quarterback converted a third-and-8 with a 10-yard run that allowed the Tigers to kneel out the clock in a 28-26 Berks Football League Section 2 win Friday at Hamburg.
The play call was a run-pass option which gave Maddocks the final word on how to get his team into the winner’s circle.
“I was reading backside, it closed up and they blitzed where we were supposed to run the ball,” Maddocks said. “Our linemen did a great job making a hole where there wasn’t even supposed to be one. I just ran through it and they made my life easy.”
Maddocks, a Villanova commit, had 61 yards rushing and 138 yards passing with three touchdown throws. His game was so much more than offensive stats. It appeared the Tigers (3-2, 5-3) would take a 14-6 lead into halftime after Maddocks hit freshman Tristan McFarland on a drag route for a 6-yard touchdown with 39 seconds remaining.
Diohnny Ruiz broke one of his many long runs and set up the Hawks (1-3, 5-3) inside the 15. Enter the Berks leader in interceptions. Maddocks’ seventh was a diving interception of a pressured Xander Menapace and it took points off the board for Hamburg.
“I was supposed to be on the other side of the field, but I knew they weren’t going backside because all their play-makers were on one side,” Maddocks said. “I cheated over there and kind of just played football and was an athlete.”
Fleetwood needed every bit of his athleticism because his perfect 4-for-4 on extra points was the difference in a game with four touchdowns scored by each team.
Ruiz was an absolute machine in defeat for the Hawks. He received only 12 carries but turned those touches into 185 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He had 121 of those yards in the second half and was carrying defenders with him all the way.
On his first touchdown he ran through a defender before the goal line; on his second he used his speed to get the edge.
“Ruiz is a special player,” Fleetwood coach Steve Beatty said. “He gave us fits all night. That’s the type of kid that keeps you up at night.”
Hamburg had its ground game rolling in the second half. The opening drive of the half was a three-play drive: Pierce Mason 23-yard run, Ruiz 15-yard run and Mitchell Watt 24-yard touchdown run.
The Hawks never punted in the second half but committed one critical mistake while trailing 28-19 in the fourth quarter. Watt took a handoff at the 2 and as he approached the goal line was stood up by numerous Tigers. Ruiz got involved and attempted to push his backfield mate into the end zone in a rugby scrum. Before a whistle blew Watt fumbled.
“I think someone did punch it out, but I was just trying to push him forward and the ball just came loose,” Ruiz said.
The Fleetwood first-half offense was primarily an air attack with 114 passing yards compared to only 40 yards rushing. Maddocks worked out of the Shotgun and was extremely quick with his decisions and where to deliver the ball.
His main target was Mason Musitano. The 6-foot-2 sophomore finished with 85 yards and displayed strong hands and a strong connection with Maddocks.
“This week we saw in the film that the corners played off of us,” Musitano said. “We just ran 5- or 6-yard hitches and took the easy money that was there all game.”
The win is the third straight for the Tigers. The players are well aware of their district playoff standings. They entered play Friday ranked 15th in District 3 Class 5A; the top 14 qualify.
“We came into (this game) with a playoff mentality,” Maddocks said. “If we want to make it to districts, we need to win out the rest of the season. I know they say we might only need one or two (wins), but we don’t want to leave it to chance. We came out here and said this is a playoff game, all or nothing.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Fleetwood | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Hamburg | 0 | 6 | 13 | 7 | 26 |
Scoring summary
| 2 | Fleetwood | Tomes, 25 pass from Maddocks (Maddocks kick) | 8:24 |
| 2 | Hamburg | Menapace, 1 run (kick failed) | 4:11 |
| 2 | Fleetwood | McFarland, 6 pass from Maddocks (Maddocks kick) | 39.3 |
| 3 | Hamburg | Watt, 24 run (Hix kick) | 10:54 |
| 3 | Fleetwood | Morris, 3 run (Maddocks kick) | 5:40 |
| 3 | Hamburg | Ruiz, 11 run (run failed) | 2:55 |
| 4 | Fleetwood | Ryan, 6 pass from Maddocks (Maddocks kick) | 11:40 |
| 4 | Hamburg | Ruiz, 18 run (Hix kick) | 3:23 |
Team statistics
| Fleetwood | Hamburg | |
| First downs | 21 | 18 |
| Rushes-yards | 38-187 | 36-335 |
| Passing yards | 138 | 47 |
| Total yards | 325 | 382 |
| Passes | 13-21-0 | 3-10-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2-0 | 3-1 |
| Punts-average | 4-36.50 | 2-44 |
| Penalties-yards | 3-34 | 7-53 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Fleetwood: Morris 19-75, Maddocks 10-61, Moyer 9-51.
Hamburg: Ruiz 12-185, Mason 8-82, Watt 14-62, Menapace 4-6.
PASSING
Fleetwood: Maddocks 13-21-0–138.
Hamburg: Menapace 3-10-1–47.
RECEIVING
Fleetwood: Musitano 7-85, Moyer 3-17, Tomes 1-25, McFarland 1-6, Ryan 1-5.
Hamburg: Harris 1-25, Ruiz 1-14, Mason 1-8.
INTERCEPTIONS
Fleetwood: Maddocks.
