Middletown Shocks Newburgh 21-16 to Advance to Section 9 Championship

Middletown's Ryheem Tinsley picks up yards against the Newburgh Goldbacks on Friday night.

Underdog Middie Bears avenge 35-0 loss and stun top-seeded Goldbacks

Middletown heard the noise all week. The Middie Bears entered the Section 9 semifinals as clear underdogs against powerhouse Newburgh — the same team that crushed them 35-0 back on Sept. 26. But that was a different Middletown team.

A midseason quarterback change from senior Anthony Russo to sophomore Joseph Royal completely altered their season’s direction. Since that switch, the Bears had rattled off four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 14.5 points) and carried that confidence into Newburgh.

They walked out with their biggest win of the year — a stunning 21-16 upset that silenced the Goldbacks’ home crowd, sending Middletown to the Section 9 Championship, where they will face off against the top-seeded Class AA defending champion Monroe-Woodbury Crusaders at 7 p.m. Eastern time on Nov. 15 at Roosevelt High.

Middletown's Fast Start Set the Tone

Middletown received the opening kickoff and leaned on its dynamic running duo of Ryheem Tinsley and Andy Aristhene to establish the ground game early. An offside penalty on Newburgh extended the drive, and Tinsley made them pay — powering through defenders for a 17-yard gain to the 27.

Royal then connected with wideout Aiden Barbosa inside the 10, setting up Aristhene’s one-yard touchdown run. After the extra point, Middletown took a quick 7-0 lead.

Newburgh responded as running back Justin Lassic broke loose for a 15-yard score to tie it 7-7. Middletown’s next possession stalled until a late hit penalty reignited the drive. Royal hit Barbosa on back-to-back completions, and early in the second quarter, found him again on a 19-yard strike to the corner of the end zone. Barbosa tiptoed inbounds for a highlight-reel touchdown that put Middletown back on top 14-7.

Trading Punches Before the Half

The Goldbacks answered once more when quarterback Jaiseon Barnwell found receiver Jahsir Davis to knot it at 14 with just under six minutes left in the half. But Middletown’s offense stayed aggressive.

Middletown regained its rhythm as the Royal-Barbosa connection continued to be effective, as Royal found Barbosa, who shook off a tackle and sprinted into the end zone for 23 yards for the game-winning touchdown and his second touchdown of the night to give Middletown back the lead 21-14.

Aiden Barbosa making a big catch against Newburgh in their Class AA semifinal matchup.

Photo: Cherrybombmedia

Frustrations started to boil over on Newburgh’s sideline after a sideline warning, and soon after, Barbosa intercepted Barnwell to end the half. Middletown headed to the locker room up seven and brimming with confidence.

Barbosa Dominates on Both Ends

Rain poured down to start the second half, but Middletown’s fire didn’t fade. Barbosa came up big again, snagging his second interception of the game to cancel out another Newburgh drive.

Newburgh’s mistakes piled up — false starts, personal fouls, and missed tackles — while Middletown kept its composure. Tinsley broke into the red zone on a big run, but a holding penalty nullified it, forcing the Bears to punt.

Newburgh went three-and-out, and Royal calmly moved the chains with short passes to Barbosa and Tinsley. Middletown ended the third quarter up 21-14 and in full control after a scoreless quarter from both teams.

Closing Time

Early in the fourth, Middletown turned the ball over on downs, giving Newburgh a golden opportunity. Barnwell overthrew his target on a potential game-tying touchdown as Middletown stiffened its defense to force a turnover on downs.

With under three minutes left, the Bears faced a crucial fourth-and-six at Newburgh’s 43. The Goldbacks got the stop — but their comeback hopes unraveled moments later when a mishandled snap pushed them backwards.

A dropped pass and a fourth-and-19 desperation heave followed — intercepted again by Middletown to all but seal the game. Tempers flared, a brief scuffle broke out, but cooler heads prevailed as the Bears lined up in victory formation.

Royal took a late safety with nine seconds left, trimming the score to 21-16 and giving Newburgh one final chance at a miracle with 8.8 seconds to go. The Goldbacks completed a quick pass but were unable to get out of bounds to stop the clock and get another chance, as they had no timeouts remaining to halt the clock.

Middletown erupted in celebration. Players poured onto the field, fans roared from the stands, and the underdogs coming in against the Newburgh Goldbacks completed one of the biggest playoff upsets in program history.

“It’s an incredible win for these guys,” said Middletown coach Tim Strenfel.

After getting shut out in late September by Newburgh, Strenfel said the team came together through the remainder of the regular season to make the semifinal a memorable victory.

“I think that we were still putting a lot of pieces together with the puzzle in the early part of the season,” said Strenfel. “The guys really started to come together and understand. And we really had a different team this week coming into the game.”

Beating Newburgh was a collective team effort, but one player stood out from the rest. Star senior receiver and defensive back Aiden Barbosa was the clear player of the game on both ends. The star receiver and defensive back showed out in the big moments, finishing with 12 receptions for 172 yards, two touchdowns, four tackles, and two game-changing interceptions. He was confident all week about his team's chances heading into the Newburgh matchup.

“I knew we were going to beat them. I was telling everybody in school we were going to beat Newburgh,” said Barbosa.

On to the Championship

With the win, Middletown advances to its fourth Section 9 Championship in five seasons, where they’ll face the reigning Class AA champions, Monroe-Woodbury. The Crusaders have dropped just one game all season and remain unbeaten in league play.

But if there’s one thing this Middletown team has proven, it’s resilience. From a 35-0 loss to a season-saving quarterback change to a playoff upset few saw coming — they’ve battled back every time.

Never count them out.