SELINSGROVE - Milton quarterback Brady Chappell collected his second-place medal and several minutes later he began receiving help to remove the Flak jacket that protected his ribs. As the junior stretched to one side, he winced in pain. The accumulation of the hits he took Friday night against Selinsgrove in the District 4 Class AAA championship game had taken a toll.
Perhaps the most agonizing pain, though, was losing in the district championship game for a second consecutive season.
Selinsgrove battered Chappell and the rest of the Milton offense as the Seals rolled to a dominating 31-0 victory and returned to the top of District 4 Class AAA.
The Seals (9-3), one season removed from a 1-9 year, will play next Friday or Saturday against Clearfield or University Prep.
Milton fell in the district title game for the second straight year, but finished with one more win than a year ago at 7-5.
"It's not just good enough to be here," said Milton coach George Goodwin. "We obviously wanted a better result tonight, but Selinsgrove had a little something to say about that."
From the outset, last night's game didn't compare to the teams' first meeting, a 14-12 Seals victory in Week 7.
Freshman Juvan Batts delivered the first punch for the Seals on the game's second play from scrimmage. The speedster took a quick pitch from quarterback Isaiah Rapp and ran through the middle of the Milton defense before reaching the sideline for a 72-yard run.
Batts finished with 219 yards on 20 carries. He had a 78-yard touchdown called back on the Seals' third drive of the game.
"That kid is good, no question about it," said Goodwin. "He's going to be good in well...we have to face him the next three years, yippee."
Milton's big three of Josh Brown, Jared Fogelman and Jayson English was held to 67 yards on 24 carries.
"They are really aggressive," said Chappell, who finished 3 of 10 with one completion to himself. "They are sound defensively. They move around and make it hard for the linemen to get blocks and for everyone else to get reads."
Selinsgrove, which outscored its two district opponents 72-0, led 10-0 after the first quarter but added to its lead in the second with a 2-yard Mike Walter touchdown run and a 10-yard touchdown pass from Rapp to Zach Adams with 47 seconds left in the half.
A small window of opportunity cracked to begin the second half for Milton. The Black Panthers received a big 46-yard pass from Chappell to Brown to the Selinsgrove 21 and a 19-yard run by Fogelman to the 3. Brown pushed the ball to the 1, but English lost 6 yards on second down and Chappell fumbled a snap on third down. The quarterback nearly collected the miscue, but was hit hard and the ball quickly became surrounded by Seals.
Just over 8 minutes and 19 plays later, Selinsgrove's lead was 31-0 before the end of the third quarter.
"We'll be right here again next year," said Chappell. "The offseason starts next week."
