Milton’s defense holds off Dartmouth
The Milton High football team relied upon its stout defense to keep Dartmouth’s high-powered offense off the board through three quarters of a Division 3 quarterfinal on Thursday night at Brooks Field in Milton. It gave the third-seeded Wildcats all the buffer they would need to seal a 28-7 victory that sent Milton back to the state semifinals.
Senior captain Griffin White, a two-way offensive and defensive lineman, led Milton’s defensive effort with two fumble recoveries in the first half. White’s first recovery led to Milton’s first touchdown.
“Great game, but it was all up to the other people that forced those fumbles” said White. “I just got lucky, I feel.”
The Wildcats used a balanced approach to drive down the field, led by running back Nathan Ehui, who rushed 21 times for 144 yards and a 3-yard touchdown, and wide receiver Roman Sammon, who was on the receiving end of a 5-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Patrick Miller that gave Milton a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
After forcing a Dartmouth punt later in the half, Milton drove down the field and Ehui scored from 3 yards on a fourth-and-goal conversion. Miller ran in the 2-point attempt to expand Milton’s lead, 14-0.
“Our O-line is amazing. It doesn’t matter who is in,” said Ehui.
White’s second fumble recovery set up the Wildcats with a first down and goal to go, but the Wildcats failed to capitalize when the drive was halted at the Dartmouth 8 by Jason Martin’s interception.
That fortuitous turnover, however, did not result in a momentum shift for the Indians (9-1), who were met with a stiff second-half resistance from Milton’s defense.
Hartford (5 carries, 103 yards) and Teddy Collins added secondhalf rushing touchdowns of 11 and 1 yards, respectively, and Aidan Rowley converted a pair of extra points attempts.
Dartmouth added a touchdown with 34 seconds left on a 4-yard pass from Jackson Hart to Donovan Burgo, but it proved to be only a parting shot.
Milton (7-3) advances to the state semifinals for the second consecutive season and will play the winner of Friday night’s quarterfinal matchup between second-seeded Billerica and No. 10 Westfield.
Division 1 State
Andover 26, Weymouth 14 — The fourth-seeded Warriors (9-1) broke open a scoreless stalemate with a pair of first-quarter scores in their quarterfinal matchup against the 12th-seeded Wildcats in Andover. Junior quarterback Dom Papa completed 9 of 21 passes for 177 yards and connected with Brian Hnat (4 receptions, 54 yards) on a 5-yard TD toss.
Sophomore running back Dante Burger ran for 127 yards and 1 TD on nine carries and senior Chris LeBrun had more than 100 yards on kick returns for the Warriors, who will face the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal matchup between topseeded St. John’s Prep and No. 8 BC High.
“At the beginning of the year, no one picked us, no one was pointing at our superstars. We do have them,” said Andover coach E.J. Perry. “For us to stick together throughout the good times and bad times has been great.”
Needham 42, Methuen 24 — Senior running back Tate Hoffmeister followed his offensive line all night, rushing 25 times for 126 yards and scoring the final three touchdowns of the game for the third-seeded Rockets (9-1), who steamrolled their way into the Division 1 semifinals.
Hoffmeister highlighted Needham’s 273-yard rushing effort, as the Rockets did not attempt a pass in the second half.
“All year. Great group of guys up front, they really produce,” Hoffmeister said of his offensive line. “They give me so many holes and give me that space to put on a move or two.”
The Rockets will next face the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal matchup between second-seeded Xaverian and No. 7 Springfield Central.
Division Large State Vo-Tech
Whittier 20, Northeast 14 — Anthony Midolo and Nick Almonzar combined for 155 rushing yards with a touchdown apiece on offense, and led the defense with 17 combined tackles, with Midolo recording five tackles for loss for the Wildcats (7-3) in the MVADA Large quarterfinals.
Division Small State Vo-Tech
Blue Hills 46, Nashoba Valley Tech 12 —Aidan Landers (135 rushing yards, 2 TDs), Caiden Montas (117 rushing yards, 3 2-point conversions), and Matt Began (102 rushing yards, 2 TDs), led the rushing attack and Jadi Cardoso caught a pair of touchdowns with an interception on defense to lead the Eagles (6-4) in the MVADA Small quarterfinals.
Non-tournament games
Braintree 43, New Bedford 7 —After missing much of his junior season because of injury, James Curry continued his fantastic senior campaign with four touchdowns to lead the Wamps (6-4) in a non-playoff win, raising his total to a programrecord 21 touchdowns on the season.
East Boston 26, Dracut 25 — Gabe Silva hauled in a 30-yard touchdown reception and rushed for two more, powering the Jets (5-4) to a nonleague win. Ben De Jesus posted four touchdowns for Dracut — a punt return, a reception, and two rushing scores.
Lynn Tech 18, Lynn English 12 — Cesar Reyes scored the winning touchdown with 1:18 to go, lifting the Tigers (5-5) to a nonleague win
Malden 26, Boston Latin 20 — Aiden Brett tossed a pair of touchdowns, propelling the Golden Tornadoes (3-7) to a nonleague win.
Medfield 26, Dighton-Rehoboth 21 — Nick Haspidis found Will Griffin, Nick Gangemi, and Roman Schoenfeld for touchdowns through the air to lift the Warriors (3-7) to a nonplayoff win.
Newton South 40, Lexington 14 — Charlie Vyadro completed 14-of-17 passes for 315 yards and four touchdowns, connecting twice with Paxton Boyd (5 receptions, 165 yards) and once with Will Cotter, who also rushed for two scores to pace the Lions (6-4) in non-playoff action.
Pentucket/Georgetown 14, Greater Lawrence 7 — Kevin Reiter added a rushing score and passing touchdown to Caleb Meisner for the Panthers (6-4) in a non-playoff win against the Reggies (4-6).
Revere 33, Gloucester 14 — Carlos Rizo tossed three touchdowns with Danny Hou accounting for 120 yards and two scares, and Gio Woodard rushed for two touchdowns, lifting the Patriots (4-6) to a nonleague win.
Woburn 42, North Andover 22 — Bryan Ferreira rumbled for 276 yards and five touchdowns — four rushing scores and a punt return — powering the Tanners (7-3) to a nonleague win. Ferreira’s performance is good for the second-most rushing yards in a single game in school history.