Silva sparks Mustangs to key ISL victory

MILTON — Trailing St. Sebastian’s by a touchdown late in the first half yesterday, Milton Academy found itself in need of a spark. With the season winding down and a bowl bid hanging in the balance, the Mustangs were in a must-win situation.

Senior Michael Silva provided that boost. The running back tied the game on a 9-yard run with 21 seconds remaining in the first half. He would go on to score two more touchdowns on the ground in the second half as Milton Academy (4-2) ran its way to a 24-13 victory over St. Sebastian’s.

“We knew coming into the week how big of a game it was going to be,” Silva said. “We knew it was going to be important. We had to play hard. We emphasized it each and every day in practice, with the captains alone and with the coaches. Emphasized that we needed to win this game.”

After St. Sebastian’s took the lead with just 44 seconds left in the first half, the Mustangs immediately answered. The team marched up field in short order before tying the game on Silva’s first touchdown — 23 seconds later. From that point, the Mustangs never looked back.

“We viewed it as a must win,” Mustangs coach Kevin MacDonald said. “We thought this was really going to be a toss-up game, and that’s from our perspective. And it started out that way. The huge thing was us scoring at the end of the first half.”

Silva finished the game with 85 yards rushing to lead Milton Academy. St. Sebastian’s (2-3) was led by Jack Frisoli, who had 133 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Being in the highly competitive ISL Large Division, the victory meant a great deal to Milton Academy.

“After this game, I feel we are in a very good place,” Silva said. “We just built a lot of momentum (yesterday), and gained a lot of confidence also. Our team is very confident in our abilities.”