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Two teams searching for their first victory met Friday night, but Milton found its footing first and never let go. The Black Panthers broke open a close start with a balanced offense and a relentless defense, defeating Hughesville, 35-0, after both teams entered the game with 0-1 records.
Milton established its running game early behind an experienced offensive line. Luis Santos capped the opening scoring drive with a 10-yard touchdown run, and Cahner O'Grady's extra point gave the Black Panthers a 7-0 lead after the first quarter.
"Our offensive line," Milton coach Matthew Wilson said when asked what sparked the ground game. "They got bigger. They got stronger in the offseason."
Wilson said the returning veterans up front were a group Milton expected to lean on, and "today, it did in the first half."
The game shifted decisively in the second quarter when Milton quarterback Kamryn Wilson connected twice with Jacori Brown. The first was a 27-yard touchdown on fourth down, and the second covered seven yards. Wilson then found Brown again for the two-point conversion, sending Milton into halftime with a 21-0 advantage.
Hughesville's defense slowed Milton's rushing attack after halftime, but that only opened another door. Wilson hit Jhemzuel Feliciano for a 57-yard touchdown in the third quarter, then found Brown for a five-yard score in the fourth. O'Grady added both extra points to complete the scoring.
"We felt our skill guys were a little bit quicker than their guys in the back end," Matthew Wilson said. "We just wanted to get the ball in their hands in the second half when they started to stuff our run."
Kamryn Wilson finished 9 for 14 for 119 yards with four touchdowns. Brown caught three passes for 39 yards and three scores, while Feliciano led all receivers with five catches for 82 yards and a touchdown. Brody Locke paced Milton on the ground with 64 yards on 14 carries, and Brady O'Rourke added 31 yards on three attempts.
Coach Wilson praised Locke, a sophomore, as a hard-nosed runner whose effort stands out.
"He's just one of those kids that you want a million of them on your football team because of his work ethic and his hard work and determination," Wilson said.
Milton totaled 228 yards, including 118 rushing and 110 passing, and recorded 14 first downs. The Black Panthers also converted all three of their fourth-down attempts. Their defense limited Hughesville to 27 total yards, two first downs and one successful conversion in 14 third-down tries.
Hughesville managed 19 rushing yards on 29 carries and eight yards through the air. Connor Miller led the Spartans with six rushing yards, while Landen Puderbach and Jullian Smith each had a six-yard reception. The Spartans also lost one of two fumbles and were flagged 13 times for 47 yards.
Hughesville coach Howard Rainey said his team believed it matched up physically with Milton, but struggled to turn its practice execution into game production.
"When we get in the game, it seems like we just forget what we're doing," Rainey said. "We're not blocking and going to the second level, so it just makes it tough."
Rainey pointed to youth and the need for more live experience as areas that can help the Spartans improve.
"We've got a lot of young kids that are playing, to be quite honest," he said. "Just getting game experience and seeing how fast other teams are and what we need to do to work better will help us out."
For Milton, the shutout provided a direct response to its season-opening loss. Coach Wilson said the veteran defense carried "a bitter taste" from the previous week and challenged itself to tackle better, swarm to the football and play relentlessly.
"They accepted the challenge," he said.
The victory moved Milton to 1-1, while Hughesville fell to 0-2 after opening the season with a 24-0 loss to Montgomery.