Needham in way of Milton’s drive for five
WEEK 6 PREVIEW
Milton’s season didn’t begin the way it would have liked, but the Wildcats have rebounded nicely with four straight wins.
Getting a fifth consecutive victory will be tougher as undefeated Needham comes to town tonight in a showdown for the top spot in the Bay State Herget. Wildcats coach Steve Dembowski knows it will be a tall order, but not an insurmountable one.
“Needham does a lot of things well, they can run the ball, they can throw the ball and their defense is aggressive,” Dembowski said. “They’ve played with a lead in every game and that allows them to become even more aggressive.”
The Rockets (5-0) are averaging 31 points a game in large part due to an impressive group of skill position players. Quarterback Charlie Ogletree has a pair of solid targets in Dukebound Matt Smith and Jack Murmes, while Tyler Reid and Odahri Hibberts fuel a productive ground attack.
Since the opener against Natick, Needham has held four straight opponents to single digits. Defensive end Jonah Kurker and safety Jack Hayes are two of the captains as well as the leaders of the defense.
They will be entrusted to try and slow down a Milton offense which is no stranger to the end zone (36.8 points a game). Luke McMenamin has thrown 14 touchdown passes with Isaiah Woodley and Ja’mier Woods emerging as the top receivers. The ground game features the explosive Smith Charles and Moses Moiwo.
“Milton is a very wellcoached team,” said Needham coach Doug Kopcso. “They’ve got great team speed, they have athletes all over the field. It’s going to be a serious challenge for us.”
Elsewhere, the Merrimack Valley Conference features a pair of key contests. Central Catholic and Methuen vie for the top spot in the MVC Large, while North Andover looks to remain atop the MVC Small with a win at Dracut.
Marblehead and Gloucester meet in a Northeastern Conference crossover contest with the winner going to 6-0.
Fresh off a final-second win over Bishop Stang, Coyle & Cassidy can clinch the Eastern Athletic Conference title tomorrow with a win at Bishop Feehan. BC High is looking at a possible mustwin situation for postseason purposes when it travels to St. John’s Prep, while Pope John and St. John Paul battle for the top spot in the Catholic Central Small.