Milton Follows State Title With Successful 2019 Season

Editor's note: Written by Mike Blum.

MILTON, GA — After capturing one of the most surprising state championships in Georgia high school football history, the Milton Eagles proved their 2018 accomplishment was no fluke, following their state title with the third most successful season in the team’s recent history.

The Eagles repeated as region champions, coasting to five easy wins over their Forsyth County opponents, and handily won their first state playoff game over Central Gwinnett and one of the state’s most productive passing attacks.

Milton’s season ended last Friday night with a 38-24 loss on the Eagles’ home field to Marietta, one of the most talented teams in the state. The Blue Devils had too many weapons for a strong Milton defense to contain, with running back Kimani Vidal scoring all five Marietta touchdowns as the Eagles tried to defend standout quarterback Harrison Bailey and his exceptional group of receivers led by Arik Gilbert.

The Blue Devils amassed almost 500 yards against a Milton defense that yielded only 30 points in going 5-0 in region play, and allowed only 10 points a game for the season against a demanding schedule.

The Eagles ended with an 8-4 record, with its losses coming against perennial state power Buford and a national caliber opponent from California, both by three points, and to Parkview, which knocked Colquitt County out of the playoffs last week. Colquitt lost to Milton in last year’s championship game and was one of the favorites to make a run at the title this season.

Milton’s best regular season win came against rival Roswell 16-12 on the Hornets’ field, and the nature of the teams’ rivalry will change next season. Milton is moving from the predominantly 7A Forsyth region to a region that will consist of three Cherokee schools (Etowah, Cherokee and Woodstock), along with Milton and the Eagles’ two primary North Fulton rivals – Roswell and Alpharetta, which moves up from 6A.

In addition to playing in a new classification next season, Alpharetta will have a new head coach, as Jacob Nichols is stepping down after six seasons. The Raiders won 46 games, made five playoff appearances and captured two region titles under Nichols, who has been on the Alpharetta coaching staff since 2010.

Nichols’ resignation was first reported in the Georgia High School Football Daily newsletter.

Milton won a state championship last year with a predominantly senior team, especially the skill position players on offense. The Eagles returned much of their offensive line and several defensive standouts, but will face the opposite situation next season.

The Eagles graduate all but a handful of their starters on defense, among them Jack Rhodes, Stephen Michaels, Zander Barnett, Marcos Rangel and Jonathan Pittman, who were starters on the state championship team.

Juniors Garrett Smalley, Dayne Edwards, Zach Tumminia and freshman Bruce Thornton are the only defensive regulars returning next season, but things look more promising on offense.

Sophomore Devin Farrell had the difficult task of replacing multi-year starter Jordan Yates at quarterback, but proved to be a quality replacement for the current Georgia tech Yellow Jacket, accounting for more than 1850 yards of offense after winning the starting job early in the season.

The Eagles lose 1000-yard rusher Ahmad Junearick, but return sophomore Jordan McDonald, who averaged six yards per carry and scored 10 touchdowns as Junearick’s backup. Leading receiver Jack Nichol, a sophomore tight end, will also return, but the Eagles will have to replace most of its offensive line, beginning with Clemson commit Paul Tchio.

Fortunately for the Eagles, they have a history of producing large offensive linemen who go on to play in college, and that tradition is unlikely to end with Tchio.

Milton had a good night offensively in the loss to Marietta, gaining over 360 yards and picking up 19 first downs. Farrell passed for 214 yards but the Marietta defense limited him to 17 yards rushing and sacked him three times. Nickel was the team’s leading receiver with seven catches for 111 yards.

The Eagles suffered a blow when Junearick left the game with an injury in the first half, with McDonald stepping in to rush for a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns.

Marietta, which never punted in the game, jumped out to a 21-0 lead before Milton scored on a 28-yard pass from McDonald to Nickel to pull the Eagles within 21-7 at the half.

Milton recovered an onsides kick to start the second half and kicked a field to goal to close within 21-10, but the Blue Devils scored on their next three possessions to take a 38-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

The Eagles responded with a 90-yard touchdown drive, recovered a second insides kick and scored again, and recovered a third onsides kick to keep their faint hopes alive. Milton drove inside the Marietta 15 but was stopped on downs with about 1:30 to play.

Milton is 30-9 in three seasons under head coach Adam Clack, who came to the Eagles from West Forsyth. The team has put together records of 9-3, 13-2 and 8-4 under Clack, including a 7-2 mark in playoff games.

The Eagles defeated Central Gwinnett 42-7 in their playoff opener, rushing for 327 yards and keeping Central Gwinnett’s passing game in check. McDonald ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns, one of them for 60 yards, and Farrell passed for two scores.

Prior to Clack’s arrival, the Eagles had won only two state playoff games, both coming in 2014 when the team reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual state champion Colquitt County. Clack took over in 2017 for Howie DeCristofaro, who led the team to five playoff berths and a 2014 region title in his six seasons as head coach, but only three winning records.