MILTON — With the arm of Sean Lane and the hands of Taj Chung, the Milton High football team delivered its best performance of the season.
The senior quarterback led the way, completing 11 of 16 passes for 139 yards and four touchdowns and Chung hauled in four receptions for 72 yards and three scores as the Wildcats declawed heavily favored Franklin en route to a convincing 41-6 victory in Friday night’s highly anticipated non-league match-up at a packed Brooks Stadium at Milton High School.
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The Wildcats, who were seeded eighth in the MIAA Division 3 power rankings, aimed to reverse the course following last week’s 21-0 shutout loss to Walpole.
Other contributors for the Wildcats included Jayden DuBois, who rushed for 90 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown while senior tri-captain Peter Skutnik added 74 yards on 11 rushes and a score.
“It’s a great win for us, and it’s our most complete performance of the season,’’ said Wildcat coach Steve Dembowski, whose squad improves to 5-2 overall. “Last week against (Walpole), we laid an egg (21-0) loss, and we needed to find a way to redeem ourselves. This is a great win for our seeding, as the regular season is winding down and we want to avoid falling into that 7-10 bracket. This is a huge win,, and it definitely gives us momentum heading into the (Division 3) post-season.”
On a 13-play game-opening scoring drive that spanned 61-yards, the Wildcats drew first blood and emerged with a 6-0 lead. After a pair of rushes by Peter Skutnik, quarterback Sean Lane managed a pair of rushes to drive into Panther territory.
After a six-yard rush by Jayden DuBois, Lane fired a completed pass into the slot for a 15-yard gain to the Panther 12. On a third and five from the six, the Wildcats capped the scoring drive as Lane spotted receiver Peter Mullen wide open in the back of the end zone with 5:35 remaining in the first quarter en route to the 6-0 lead.
“I thought we were able to really establish control of the game in that first drive,’’ said Dembowski. “We were able to convert a few third down plays, and we were able to get out in front early.:
Only 1:57 later, the Panthers tied the contest at 6-6, retaliating on a quick four play drive that mustered 63 yards. On the first play from scrimmage, sophomore Ethan Edmunds, who completed just six of 20 passes for 100 yards, fired a 39-yard strike to Christian Holmes. After a pair or rushes by Owen Essam and Edmunds, Holmes broke through several tacklers at the line of scrimmage and dashed into the end zone with 3:55 remaining, Following a missed extra-point attempt, both teams were mired in a 6-6 tie before the Wildcats capitalized on three drives for 21 unanswered points in cruising to 27-6 halftime edge.
“They (Franklin) came back, and scored on their first drive, and at first, it looked like it was going to be a track meet,’’ said Dembowski. “After (Franklin) scored, we regained our composure, and I thought we really executed well in all three phases of the game. We controlled the line of scrimmage, and we were able to spread the ball around. We had a lot of guys, who really contributed and it was a total team win.
After both teams traded possessions, the Wildcats capitalized on a 19-yard punt by the Panthers and quickly regained the lead at 13-6.. On a first down from the Panther 32, Lane fired a 26-yard strike to Chung. Moments later, Lane connected with Dylan Raffle on a six-yard touchdown pass with 2:03 remaining in the first quarter followed by Lane’s successful extra-point attempt.
Aiming to strike back, the Panthers failed to execute on a seven play drive that spanned 42-yards, Driving to the Wildcat 42-yard line, the Panthers were faced with a fourth and 8, but failed to capitalize as Edmunds scrambled for just one yard as the Wildcats once again were handed favorable field position.
“They (Milton) weren't giving us any different looks,’’ said Panthers coach Todd Kiley. “It's the same stuff that we practiced all week. We've just got to protect (Edmunds) a little better. He (Edmunds) was flushed out a bunch, so we've got to take a look at where things broke down. “They (Milton) have an exceptionally talented squad. Seeing them suffer a 21-0 defeat last week came as a real shock, since their game tape clearly demonstrates how formidable they are.”
Capitalizing on the short field, the Wildcats struck again with a quick two play 59-yard scoring drive. After Lane fired a 39-yard strike downfield to senior tri-captain tight end Jack Kelly, Skutnik followed through, breaking through several tackles at the line of scrimmage and blitzed into the end zone with 5:58 remaining in the first half for the 20-6 lead.
Faced with a fourth and two from the Wildcat 37, the Panthers elected to gamble as Edmunds was stopped just inches short of the first down marker on a failed quarterback draw.
Just two plays later, the Wildcats capitalized and increased the lead to 27-6 as DuBois broke through several tackles at the line of scrimmage and dashed into the end zone for the 35-yard score with 2:52 remaining in the first half.
“Not being able to convert on fourth downs and giving them the short fields, that hurt,’’ said Kiley. “But that's us. We're going to be aggressive. I will never change that for as long as I coach. That's who we are. We believe in our kids, we believe they can make those plays. Give credit to Milton. They made those plays. We didn't.”
With a 21-point lead in hand at the half, the Wildcats continued to add to the scoring early in the third quarter. Working again with the short field, the Wildcats responded with a seven play 37-yard scoring drive that was finished with Lane’s third touchdown pass of the contest. On a fourth down from the Panther 10, Lane fired a fade to Chung in the deep corner of the end zone with 7:26 remaining for the 34-6 lead.
“I've played against Todd (Kiley) several times,’’ said Dembowski, whose teams also went against Kiley when he coached Holliston. “They (Franklin) do a great job coaching. I just thought our kids really responded. We needed a performance like this, and the guys knew that. I thought our coaches had a good game plan, and at the line of scrimmage we dominated on both sides.Todd plays the full 48 minutes. You want to be able to control the second half and not have any letdown at the end of the game, no matter what the score.”
Capping the scoring, the Wildcats finished a nine-play, 58-yard scoring drive. On a second and 10 from the Panther 17, Lane scrambled to his right and connected on a wide open Chung for his fourth touchdown pass of the night with 1:22 remaining in the third quarter as the Wildcats eased to the win.
“I just told the team, hey, it's one game,’’ said Kiley. “Everybody has one of these. We had ours this week.”
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: With 'complete performance,' Milton football stuns Franklin in rout