By Colby Shannon
NEFJ Correspondent

MILTON — Taking down the defending NEPSAC champions bodes well for a team that’s off to an unbeaten start.

The prominence of Buckingham Browne & Nichols’ was on full display Saturday afternoon as they beat Milton Academy 14-7.

Both teams struggled to move the ball early, as the first quarter was a scoreless affair. However, on BB&N’s (5-0) second drive, they gradually pushed their way down the field. Multiple third and fourth down conversions, including a 12-yard outside run by Liam Walker, helped bring BB&N to scoring position.

Leaning on the run game once more, the Knights used the legs of quarterback Ethan Hatch to run for a fourth down touchdown. He scored from three yards out – running behind Colby College committed center Liam Cunningham – to account for the first points of the game, with 6:31 remaining in the second quarter.

“We really emphasize running the ball over here,” said Cunningham. “It’s my favorite part of the game.”

The second of two drives in the second quarter went similar to the first. A slow and methodical game plan to dismantle the defense, this time, conducted by Milton Academy’s offense.

A fourth down conversion on a pass to Colin Hoffman put the Mustangs (2-3) in field goal range. Jonah Selter nailed the kick from 45-yards out, but a late substitution penalty on the defense gave Milton Academy the option to continue its drive with 27 seconds remaining.

Head coach Mike Mason rolled the dice and took his three points off the scoreboard. With 11 seconds remaining in the half, his gamble paid off, as freshman quarterback Hudson Garrity located Ben Allen in the right side of the end zone to even the score at 7-7 before the break.

The Knights didn’t wait long before going back up.

On their first drive, Walker took a reverse end-around hand-off for 37 yards to make it 14-7. The following defensive drive, he blitzed from the corner position to record a key sack that stopped Milton Academy’s answering attempt.

“Liam Walker was unbelievable today. We ask him to do a lot,” said BB&N head coach Mike Willey. “He is dynamic on our offense, he is explosive and makes big plays.”

The next two offensive drives for each team resulted in a punt and a turnover on downs, taking the game into the fourth quarter with less than eight minutes remaining. In the midst of BB&N’s attempt to chew clock, the Knights fumbled. Finn Reardon recovered the ball at the 35-yard line with 3:12 remaining to give Milton Academy a fighting chance.

A pair of sacks from Dom Chaves and Walker – who had two sacks – pushed the Mustangs back to a 4th-&-long. Garrity’s conversion attempt to Allen came up just short of the line to gain, securing another win for the undefeated Knights.

“I thought it was a hard-nose, tough, physical football game that we came out on top on,” added Willey.