Martin, Singleton lead Mustangs’ rout

Ayden Martin scores touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams and Nick Singleton becomes Gov. Mifflin’s all-time rushing leader

On the night Nick Singleton became Gov. Mifflin’s alltime rushing leader, sophomore Ayden Martin threatened to steal the show.

Martin showed that he could be the Mustangs’ next big star, scoring touchdowns in all three phases of the game to spark them to a 55-14 non-league win Friday against overmatched Mifflin County at Mifflin Stadium.

Martin returned an interception 33 yards for a TD, covered a blocked punt in the end zone for another score and reached the end zone on a 46-yard catch-andrun off Connor Maryniak’s second-quarter scoring pass.

Singleton, a junior with more than two dozen big-time college scholarship offers, still made his usual Friday night statement as the state-ranked Mustangs improved to 2-0.

He raced 16 yards on his first touch to become the Mustangs’ all-time rushing leader and followed with scoring runs of 12 and 21 yards. He also broke off a dazzling 55-yard punt return for a TD.

“I was grateful to get it,” said Singleton of the rushing record. “I can’t thank my linemen, my teammates, my coaches, enough for helping me get it.”

Singleton had to wait a while to get it. With everyone expecting him to get the first touch of the game, Maryniak instead handed off to fullback Brandon

Strausser on each of the first three plays before Singleton got his first touch.

“It’s the (way the) option (works),” said Mifflin coach Jeff Lang. “Connor can run the ball well. Strausser or Trey (Rock) can run the ball well. Nick runs the ball well, so you’ve got to defend all three.”

The Huskies (2-0) couldn’t stop any of them in falling behind 40-0 in the second quarter.

“I was getting a little anxious,” Singleton said. “I wanted the ball a lot, but we’ve got good players that, if they get the ball they can score.”

Singleton finished with 101 yards on just seven carries and pushed his career rushing total to 3,225 yards. He’s on pace to become Berks County’s all-time rushing leader.

He broke the program record of 3,129 yards, established by Zach Schmidt in 2010. Schmidt was on hand to congratulate Singleton and present him with a ball after the game.

It was billed as Senior Night, but Mifflin’s underclassmen dominated the scoring.

Rock, a junior fullback and linebacker, blocked a punt to set up a touchdown and broke off a 55-yard run to set up his short TD run.

Martin provided more highlights, the best, he thought, being his pick six.

“Their receiver did a stop in the middle of the field and I read it, and he over-threw it so I saw I had a chance to get it and go,” said Martin, a defensive back. “I had blockers that helped me get there. When I had Greg (Suber blocking) in front of me, then I saw the pylon, and that’s it.”

The Huskies, who opened with a 33-0 loss to Bishop McDevitt, were overpowered by defensive end Cam’Ron Stewart and Mifflin’s defensive front seven. They managed just 62 total yards through the first three quarters before Mifflin’s front-line defense was pulled.

Quarterback Brycen Hassinger was running for his life much of the first half, when he was sacked three times and flushed out of the pocket several other times.

He also showed he’s a dangerous in the open field, breaking off a 41-yard run that set up the Huskies first score, his 14-yard TD pass to Jayden Jackson in the final minute of the first half.

The game served as a good tune-up for the Mustangs’ Berks Football League Section 1 opener next week against unbeaten Exeter, their biggest league rival over the past decade.