Madison might have been emitting as much steam out of anger as the Perry Nuclear Power Plant stack sitting in the backdrop at sunset amid the early going Oct. 10 against Jefferson. Because three plays into their Week 8 clash, the Blue Streaks found themselves down after a long TD pass by the Falcons. It was nothing that a timely punt, complexion-changing safety and some of that trademark Madison muscle couldn’t fix to set the track for a steamroll, though. Now comes an intersection of a couple of roaring steam engines next week for which both powerhouses cannot wait. The Blue Streaks got a pair of touchdowns from Alexander Davis to sandwich a Payton Birman TD following that aforementioned special teams and defense swing en route to a 44-6 homecoming win to get to 6-2. While the comprehensiveness of the scoreline may not indicate it, the two moments that turned the tide from frustration to ferocity came with two points being generated from it. Madison junior Chase White discusses a 44-6 homecoming win over JeffersonYoung man had a beauty of a punt downed at the 3 that really seemed to be a kick-start toward the rout that followed as the Blue Streaks got to 6-2 pic.twitter.com/BfNDlGXFrO — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) October 11, 2024 Chase White got away a booming punt with 7 minutes, 4 seconds remaining in the second quarter, a 50-yard beauty that was downed at the Jefferson 3. Up, 7-6, on third down from the 7, Madison senior Tristan Shahan broke through the heart of the line and swarmed Falcons quarterback Mason Kalil for a safety for a 9-6 advantage. Madison senior Tristan Shahan discusses a 44-6 homecoming win over JeffersonHis safety in the second quarter helped swing this Week 8 game decisively in the Blue Streaks' favor as they got to 6-2He added a fumble recovery later as well amid a memorable evening pic.twitter.com/0hZVRNbmcx — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) October 11, 2024 The turn was palpable. “It was huge, and Chase White has been doing that all year,” Blue Streaks coach Mike Gilligan said. “He’s been absolutely awesome in flipping the field and giving us field position, really all year long. So it wasn’t surprising, but it does help a lot that all three phases — the special teams, we preach it. We’re pretty good on special teams. “(Our defense is) aggressive. Coach Sorber calls an aggressive game plan. We’re going to bring pressure. We’re going to play some man coverage. So I think that forces teams into mistakes. Yeah, we really have taken good advantage of those opportunities into getting those stops on short fields. They’re just a swarming defense. They do an excellent job in preparation.” From there, Will Randall found Davis for a 41-yard TD strike down the left sideline, with Ben Amos’ extra point opening a 16-6 lead. Then came a Jefferson punt, after which Birman found paydirt from 11 yards out. Payton Birman 11 yard TD runXP goodMadison 23-6 2:56 2Q pic.twitter.com/XHjHseaeNN — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) October 11, 2024 Then came another Falcons’ punt, which was blocked, with Dominic Magda falling upon it at the Jefferson 14. Two plays later, Davis bulled in from 10 yards. Alexander Davis 10 yard TD runXP goodMadison 30-6 1:42 2Q pic.twitter.com/r1lL0DhfwR — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) October 11, 2024 Suddenly, it was 30-6 with no more steam left to be seen in the backdrop — or on the home sideline at Dick Hamblin Field for that matter. On six first-half possessions, the Blue Streaks’ average starting field position was the Falcons’ 38, kick-started by White and Shahan with their vital interventions. “Honestly, we practice that every week,” Davis said. “We just go full-on punt. That punt is just crucial in winning that game right there. Because we were down, and then our team, our morale got up. It doesn’t matter if we have a bad setback. We know how to come back and win.” James Poe 1 yard TD runXP goodMadison 37-6 7:49 3Q pic.twitter.com/9zzvt5yAni — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) October 11, 2024 James Poe (15 carries, 68 yards) and Birman (six carries, 69 yards) each got into the end zone for the second time on the night in the third quarter to invoke a running clock. Payton Birman 39 yard TD runXP good Madison 44-6 3:54 3Q pic.twitter.com/opziD7DRGu — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) October 11, 2024 This marked the sixth straight game Madison has conceded fewer than 10 points, the longest such run for the program in that regard since 2014. “We preach it every week,” Davis said. “Our coach tells us what number we are in the region for defense, and it just puts something in us to keep going. We don’t want to lose that spot.” With business handled against Jefferson, the Blue Streaks can now turn their attention to a biggie in Week 9, as they cross the county border to face another high-flyer in Geneva, which is 6-1 heading into its Oct. 11 game against Lakeside. The feeling is assuredly mutual. But for Madison’s part, the week cannot go by fast enough. “It’s probably the game that both of us have had circled since August,” Gilligan said. “And it’s good that the stakes are high again. So it’s going to be a great game. They’re a great rivalry. They’re across towns. Our kids know their kids. They know us. And it’s going to be awesome. It’s going to be fun.” Devin Salinas had a laudable evening for the Falcons (2-6) with six catches for 94 yards, including that early 45-yard TD from Kalil. James Poe 9 yd TD run; XP goodMadison 7-6 7:24 1Q pic.twitter.com/FSoGtV4vJw — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) October 10, 2024 Madison celebrates a 44-6 homecoming win over Jefferson with a round of the alma mater (orchestrated by homecoming king Kaleb Meister) pic.twitter.com/xmAeODNFYR — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) October 11, 2024