Milton at South Williamsport preview
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Milton PPG--9.0, PPA--28.7; YPG--202, YPA--325
Milton notes: Milton is coming two tough games against Montoursville and Southern Columbia but showed its grit in the season opener when it rallied late and defeated Shikellamy, 20-17 in overtime. Quarterback Izayah Minium was injured against Montoursville two weeks ago, but backup Chase Lytle played well against Southern, throwing for 139 yards and a touchdown. After catching six passes in each of Milton’s first two games, Monty Fisher had his best yardage performance, going for three catches and 112 yards against Southern. Fisher also likely will be used in the backfield and is a special teams weapon as well. With South allowing two punt return touchdowns last week, that is an area to keep an eye on. Milton could not get its running game last week, but Chris Doyle is one of the area’s premier running backs and topped 70 yards in each of his first two games. Doyle, Dom Lytle and Hayden Patterson also are talented linebackers who helped the defense contain Montoursville and keep Milton in the game until late in the fourth quarter. Milton went 9-2 the past two seasons and has moved to 3A after being 4A in those seasons. That is a crowded field, so Milton is eager to try and start gaining some ground there.
Milton player to watch--Lucas Ditty: A reliable defensive back, Ditty intercepted three passes last year and could have a prime matchup against South’s explosive Dylan Scheller. Ditty also showed off his receiving capability last week and caught a touchdown against Southern.
South PPG--13.7, PPA--24.3; YPG--229.7, YPA--255.7
South notes: Like Milton, South has gone against two outstanding opponents the past two weeks and faced the state’s No. 1-ranked Class AA team in Troy last Friday. South opened its season with a 26-13 win against Athens, a victory which looks especially impressive with Athens winning its past two games and upsetting Canton last Saturday. The defense held up about as well as it could against Troy, but the two special teams touchdowns doomed South early in that game. South allowed just 30 points in its first two games and Cadden Smith blocked a field goal which led to a Tadd Lusk return touchdow against Athens. Caleb Johnson is coming on strong, intercepting passes in each of his last two games. Scheller was an all-state defensive back last fall and has broken up three passes. Paxton Gephart and Ryan Bower have combined for five tackles for loss. Scheller is tied for second among area receivers with 15 catches and is third in yards. He has topped 90 yards twice this season. Quarterback Tadd Lusk has thrown more than 20 touchdowns since becoming the starter at midseason last fall and underclassmen running backs Jayden Hamm, Eli Smith and Cade Lusk all have shown flashes early this year. Hamm ran for 91 yards in the Athens win and Lusk broke off a 26-yard touchdown run at Troy.
South player to watch--Ben Ferris: The senior defensive tackle was instrumental in South’s run to the state’s Class A Final Four a year ago and is tied for second in tackles. His ability to clog the middle and slow Milton’s running game will play a critical role in how this game transpires.
Outlook: These team mirror each other in many ways and the games have been quite physical the past two seasons. This feels like one where the first one to 20--if they get there--wins.