×

Xzavier Minium makes impact in all facets as Milton routs Hughesville 47-7

There is absolutely nothing on the football field that Xzavier Minium cannot do. That fact was never more evident than Friday night at Alumni Stadium in Milton, where the Black Panthers were hosting Hughesville in a HAC-3 matchup.

Minium, who is generating interest from Division I-AA and Division II schools, made his impact in just about every facet of the game. He occasionally ran the offense out of the wildcat formation, ran for two touchdowns, executed a fake punt perfectly, and scooped up a loose ball on the defensive end and took it to the house.

He finished with 185 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns in the Black Panthers’ 47-7 win.

“Whatever it takes for the team to be successful,” said Minium. “The O-line did a great job blocking for me.”

The Milton offensive line was the driving force behind a rushing attack that tallied 304 yards by the time the final buzzer sounded. All five of the team’s offensive touchdowns were via the ground attack.

The offense was put into great position by the Black Panther defense, who allowed negative yardage and only surrendered a single first down while the first-team unit was in.

“I’ll say the same thing I say about them every week,” said Milton coach Phil Davis. “They’re aggressive, they’re physical, and they control the line of scrimmage.”

The game didn’t look like a blowout initially. It took Milton until halfway through the first quarter to score when Mason Rowe found the endzone for the first of his two touchdown runs. Minium and QB Cale Bastian added touchdown runs in the second quarter to bring it to a 21-0 score line heading into the locker rooms at halftime.

The Black Panthers broke the game wide open in the third quarter, finding the endzone three times in a quarter where they also forced two turnovers on fumble recoveries.

Tyler Wetzel replaced starting Spartan quarterback Luke Kaiser at halftime. The switch seemed to work well, with the Jr. QB completing five out of his seven passes and generating multiple first downs on the same drive, something the Spartans were unable to do in the first half.

“He’s probably got the best shot (to start) next year.” said Spartan coach Howard Rainey. “When we’re in these kinds of games we’re going to try and transition, start working for next year,” said Rainey. “When it’s a game like this, you might as well give it a shot.”

The Black Panthers move to 5-1 with the win and currently sit in 3rd place in the District IV 4A standings, behind only Selinsgrove and perennial-powerhouse Jersey Shore. They’ll travel to Bloomsburg next week to look and continue their success against a solid football team.

The Spartans have another tough test ahead of them as they’ll host an undefeated Mount Carmel team in Hughesville next week.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today