Milton Eagles To Make First Football Championship Appearance

By Mike Blum

MILTON, GA — Regardless of the outcome of next week’s state championship game, this has been the most successful season in the nearly 70-year history of the Milton High School football program.

The Eagles defeated the Lowndes High School Vikings 28-17 in the class AAAAAAA semifinals to reach the state championship game. The game was played Friday, Nov. 30 at the new Denmark High School in south Forsyth, as Milton’s stadium does not have sufficient seating capacity to meet state requirements to host a 7A semifinal contest.

Milton will face powerhouse Colquitt County, the state’s top team, for the championship at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Colquitt has made it to the state semifinals each of the past 10 seasons, winning state titles in 2014 and 2015, when the Packers went a combined 30-0. This will be Colquitt’s fifth appearance in the championship game of the state’s largest classification in the last nine years.

While Colquitt brings a perfect 14-0 record into next week’s championship game, the Eagles are 12-2, the first time in school history a Milton team has won 12 games in a season. The Eagles have played a demanding schedule, and will be playing its eighth game against a team that either won its region in 7A or finished as region runner-up. Milton also played one of the top teams in Florida early this season and won that game, with Milton 6-2 against teams that have won playoff games
in Georgia.

Milton scored its ninth straight win against Lowndes last week, defeating a team that's won three state championships between 2004 and 2007, and came into last year’s playoffs unbeaten and top-ranked in the state before losing in a second round upset.

The Eagles in last week's match jumped out to a 21-0 lead four minutes into the second period against the Vikings, and held off a Lowndes comeback that reduced Milton’s advantage to 21-17 in the first minute of the fourth quarter. As they have done each week in the playoffs, Milton responded with a clutch fourth quarter touchdown drive, this one covering 80 yards to clinch the victory.

The Milton defense produced its fourth straight outstanding playoff effort, holding the Lowndes offense in check other than a standout Vikings’ tailback Travis Tisdale. Milton held Lowndes to 200 yards total offense, with Tisdale accounting for 168 yards on 24 rushing attempts. Lowndes passed for just 19 yards, going 6 for 17 through the air with one interception.

The Eagles were limited to 219 yards by a stout Lowndes defense, but scored touchdowns every time they were able to move the ball at all. The first Milton touchdown was a gift from the Vikings, as the Lowndes punter dropped the ball as he was attempting to kick it in the opening period, giving the Eagles the ball at the Lowndes 29. Milton quarterback Jordan Yates connected with star defensive back and part-time receiver Joseph Charleston for 24 yards to the Lowndes 6 on third down before keeping for the touchdown on the next play.

The Eagles went up 14-0 in the final minute of the opening period when Dylan Leonard got behind the Lowndes defense for a 50-yard touchdown reception from Yates. Following one of a succession of strong defensive series in the first half for the Eagles, Milton got ball back at the Vikings’ 49 and drove for a third first-half score, with running back Josh Edwards gong in from a yard out.

Tisdale broke free for 47 yards and a score to pull Lowndes within 21-7 at the half, and the Vikings
scored again early in the third quarter after intercepting a Yates pass inside the Milton 20.
The Lowndes defense contained Yates and the Eagles throughout the third period, and the Vikings
closed within 21-17 on a field goal early in the fourth quarter after returning a punt to the Milton 33. The Vikings drove inside the Milton 10 looking to tie the game, but the Eagles forced a field goal to maintain their dwindling lead.

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At that point, the Milton offense asserted itself after being throttled by the Vikings after taking the 21-0 lead. Lowndes limited the Eagles to a total of 10 yards on their five previous possessions, but Yates led Milton on an 80-yard drive that proved to be the game-clincher. He hit Jordan Cox to convert a third down to get the drive started, and found Leonard deep down the middle for 30 yards to the Lowndes 41.

Following a pass interference call against the Vikings, Yates hit Leonard for 15 yards to the 11, and
connected with Holden Shaw for 11 yards and the touchdown on the next play. With eight minutes remaining, Lowndes had time to mount a late comeback, but Milton linebacker Jordan Davis ranged deep downfield to intercept a double pass by the Vikings. After a Milton punt, the
Eagles made one more defensive stop to seal the win. The Eagles held the Vikings to only eight first downs, stopping Lowndes on third down nine of 12 times.

The Vikings were 0-for-4 on fourth down. Yates completed 15 of 20 passes on a rainy night for 182 yards and two touchdowns. Charleston had four catches for 52 yards, with Leonard’s two receptions totaling 80 yards, The Lowndes defense held Edwards to 34 yards on 14 carries, with Yates managing just 9 yards on 19 attempts. The Eagles converted 8 of 14 third downs.

All through the playoffs, Yates has come up big when the Eagles needed him in the second half.
With Milton leading 21-19 in the playoff opener against South Gwinnett, Yates broke a 70-yard
touchdown run to give the Eagles a 28-19 victory. He directed a 97-yard drive with the Eagles holding a 10-3 lead against Mill Creek, and connected with Leonard for a 30-yard score with under four minutes to play to wrap up a 24-3 triumph.

Yates completed 3-of-3 passes for 38 yards and ran for 21 yards as the Eagles drove 95 yards to score the winning touchdown against Hillgrove on a 23-yard run by Edwards with 2:30 to play. That was the only game in the playoffs in which Milton has trailed in the fourth quarter.

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