It was a microcosm of the season for the Middletown Middies on Friday night.

Hanging onto a 26-20 lead with 3:12 left to go in their homecoming affair with Oak Hills at Barnitz Stadium, the Middies went backward.

Fast.

A false start penalty, their eighth such penalty on the night, stopped the clock and put them in a first-and-long. After Jalin Marshall picked up 11 to get the Middies back to second-and-4, Marshall was sacked on third down.

Three plays, minus-4 yards and less than a minute off the clock.

In two plays – aided by a personal foul for a late hit on the Middies after a 21-yard gain — Oak Hills had set up shop at the Middletown 17. Six plays later, Demarco Ruffin finished off his 163-yard rushing night by plowing in from 3 yards out to tie the game with 12 ticks left. The extra point gave Oak Hills their first lead of the game.

Williams Peters returned the ensuing kickoff to the Oak Hills 49 with 3 seconds left. Marshall rolled to his right and threw into the middle of the end zone where Drey Lewis had possession of the winning score, but before he could stick the landing, Oak Hills defensive back Cody Herbig separated Lewis from the ball, and sent the Middies to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the Greater Miami Conference.

“It was a great effort,” Middletown coach Troy Everhart said. “But we never should have been in that situation to begin with. We had chances, but we had turnovers, or we would fumble the ball and recover it, but be behind the sticks.”

Middletown was flagged 14 times for 111 yards on the night and lost two of their four fumbles. They also allowed Ruffin to finish with 163 yards on 35 carries while quarterback Liam Sallquist completed 8 of 14 passes for 109 yards and two scores.

“Penalties. Penalties by seniors,” Everhart said. “Missed assignment by seniors. We have to decide if wanting to win is more important than getting into personal battles. There is no question we don’t take advantage of opportunities. Everything comes from confidence and confidence comes from previous success or experience. Right now, they are relying on personal experience that they saw, but they didn’t go through.”