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MILTON -- The running backs ran rampant in what turned out to be a physical edition of the Tomato Bowl between Milton and South Williamsport on Friday night. The two offenses combined for 484 yards at Alumni Stadium, with 372 of those yards coming from the ground games.
But, even if it was a battle in the trenches, it was one that Milton won as the Black Panthers claimed the game 25-0.
With quarterback Monty Fisher in his second game as the full-time starter, the Black Panthers stuck to their traditional style of offense, picking up 260 yards on the ground, led by Fisher with 162.
"We have to be able to run the ball, especially when we have someone explosive like Monty at quarterback," Milton coach Matt Wilson said. "It really came down to our offensive line getting blocks, and they did. We knew they were going to be physical up front, and we took advantage of the mismatches."
The Black Panthers attempted no passes on their opening drive of the game, instead going with five straight rushes on a drive that stalled after one first down. South Williamsport, however, tried to get the passing game working early, but only managed a 35-yard reception to Caleb Johnson on the Milton defense before punting.
An incompletion on Fisher's first toss of the day left Milton facing a fourth-and-6 from the Mountie 19-yard line on the ensuing drive. The senior quarterback tucked the ball and dragged a host of South Williamsport defenders with him across the line-to-gain down to the 12-yard line.
On the next play, he cashed in to give Milton the lead with two minutes left in the first frame.
"I think the last time we opened the scoring to go up against an opponent was last year against Midd-West, so it's been a while," Wilson said. "So just getting that momentum and jumping out to an early lead was huge.
"We've been leaving our defense out to dry sometimes, so it was great to get a lead and let our defense go and attack.”
It didn't end there, though, as Fisher bookended the day with scores, punching in the game's final touchdown from 40 yards out on the first play of a drive in the fourth quarter.
"It felt really good today, and I feel like I'm a natural who can throw it or pass it," Fisher said. "But it was really on the line today. They're dogs, and they've been working all through the summer to get to where we're at. They held their own today, and we're going to continue doing that."
Though the shutout of South Williamsport mainly featured rushing, the passing game did see some success, too.
Late in the first half, an interception from Gavin Whiteknight set Milton up at its own 13-yard line. The Black Panthers put together a three-minute scoring drive and found the end zone from 35 yards out on a pass to Cole Rhodes.
"We just want to let other teams know that we can throw the ball, too," Wilson said. "We don't want teams always stacking the box against us, and we've got some really fast receivers."
As Louis Williams came onto the field to attempt the extra point, though, he was sent back off because he was wearing bracelets on his wrist. In his place, out trotted sophomore kicker Paige Snyder to attempt her first extra point. It split the uprights, and Milton took a 14-0 lead.
"We were going to go for two when they sent our kicker off, but I said 'No, she's busting her butt in practice, let's get her in there,’" Wilson said. "She's practicing these all the time, and I have faith in her, so we let her go."
Later in the third quarter, a bracelet-less Williams knocked down a 21-yard field goal to put Milton up comfortably at 17-0.
While the Black Panthers expected the game to play out in the style that it did, Wilson was extremely pleased with the way the defense shut down the Mountie offense. Milton allowed just 174 yards on Friday, and it was enough to take home the Tomato Bowl at the end of the night.
"Getting over the hump and breaking out of a three-game losing streak is always a great thing," Wilson said. "We had a great week of practice, we were ready for today, and we were dialed in all game."