By Mike Sidhly
NEFJ Correspondent
NATICK – It was a game that looked like it was going to be a back-and-forth battle for the ages.
But, in the end, Milton pulled ahead for an impressive 35-22 victory over Natick on Friday.
The Wildcats were able to sustain two massive drives: one 60-yard drive in the last two minutes of the first half and an incredible 93-yard churner in the fourth quarter.
Senior quarterback Sean Lane made his second career varsity start, recording three total touchdowns on the day, one through the air and two on the ground.
“It’s definitely about trusting my teammates,” Lane said.“I feel like we’re all on the same page, and they’re making plays for me. And I’ll go out and I’ll run the ball, make some plays for them.”
Milton head coach Steve Dembowski knew his team had the fortitude to sustain long drives, and it came from its balanced attack.
“We felt like once we got them on the run, we could work the clock and then take shots,” he said. “You know I like to throw it more, but we’ve got to run it. I think this team is well diversified, and we’re getting contributions from a lot of different players.”
Milton (1-1) took the ball first, and promptly marched down the field, thanks to some chunk rushing plays by senior running back Peter Skutnik. But it was a big passing play that got the Wildcats on the board first, as senior quarterback Sean Lane found receiver Noah Tran on a 38-yard bomb to give Milton an early 7-0 lead.
After Natick (1-1) failed a fourth down conversion on its first possession, the Wildcats again drove down with ease from midfield, capping off by a 7-yard rushing score from Skutnik to give Milton a commanding 13-0 lead after the missed extra point.
Natick needed to respond quickly, and they did so, with a pass interference call assisting the Redhawks deep into Milton territory. Lefty quarterback Matt Cassie was able to find senior captain Michael Mortarelli on a short slant, as Natick was finally on the board, making it 13-7 with 10:09 to go in the second quarter.
After forcing the game’s first punt, Natick continued its offensive momentum. Deep in enemy territory, Cassie was able to handle a bad snap, hauling it in and firing a beautiful pinpoint pass between multiple defenders to Mortarelli again, for a 10-yard touchdown pass. With the extra point, the Redhawks took their first lead of the contest, 14-13, with 2:38 left in the half.
Needing to go 60-yards with two minutes left in the half, Milton wouldn’t be denied. A big passing play from Lane to Tran put the Wildcats in enemy territory. Then after getting inside the red zone, Lane rolled out left, and took it across the goal line himself, as Milton was able to cap-off an incredible one minute, 54 second drive to give themselves a 21-14 lead heading into halftime.
Coming out of the break, it was defense that led the way after an explosive first, as Natick and Milton traded punts in a third quarter riddled with penalties. Neither team could get their attack rolling, but Milton finished the third quarter driving from their own seven yard line with the score remaining 21-14 heading into the final frame.
With the odds stacked against them, Milton pushed forward. Senior running back Jayden Dubios did most of the heavy lifting on this drive, highlighted by a big run to put the Wildcats in the red zone. Dubios was able to cap off the 93-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown to give Milton a 28-14 lead with 8:37 left in the contest.
After a Natick punt, Milton put the game away for good. Lane found a seam in the red zone, and rushed in for his third total TD of the game, this one a six yard scamper.
Natick was able to score a late TD with 2:14 remaining, but the damage was done. Milton ran the clock down, and finished off the 35-22 victory on enemy soil.
