Crestview rolls over Milton
KYLE WRIGHT
Florida Freedom Newspapers
kylew@crestviewbulletin.com
The Dawgs finally tracked down the Cats.
Crestview's football team ended six years of frustration against Milton with an emphatic 35-10 win Friday night at Jack Foster Stadium.
The Dawgs had not beaten the Panthers since the 2002 regional finals, a span of seven games.
"(Milton) hadn't forgotten it and got pretty inspired every year against us, but our kids played hard. Defensively we played real well," Crestview coach Matt Brunson said.
"The kids just wanted to win a football game. They have been playing hard all season long. We just got some bad breaks early in the season. Last week (a 14-13 win against then-unbeaten Fort Walton Beach) the breaks kind of turned around. We believe if you work hard enough long enough, good things will start happening, and we'll continue to work hard."
The Dawgs (4-4) made sure this Halloween night would not belong to the Cats in black and gold.
Crestview scored on its first three possessions to take control of the contest. The Dawgs turned a pair of Panther turnovers into touchdowns early in the second half to turn the game into a rout.
The Dawgs knew it was their night when Ben Baber scooped up a Milton fumble on the second play of the second half and charged 43 yards for a TD to make it 28-10.
"In '02, we scored some points on defense, too," Brunson reminded his assistants on the CHS sideline.
"I knew it was over then," senior running back Jordan Glover added after the game.
Glover again carried the load for Crestview's offense. Glover finished with 161 yards on 29 carries and three touchdowns.
Glover got plenty of help. Jerry Siler showed the Dawgs meant business with a 40-yard return of the opening kickoff. Chris Pickett scored Crestview's first TD on a 40-yard run that featured a nifty cutback on the right sideline.
A Keyshawn Thomas interception set up Crestview's final TD.
The Dawg defense limited Milton to 97 rushing yards - 59 of those yards on one play - and 265 total yards.
"It's a good rivalry, and it feels good to beat them," said Glover, who was a sixth-grader the last time Crestview beat Milton. "We got on them early in the first half, and we finished our drives."
Eric Hudson scored the Panthers' only touchdown on a 17-yard pass play early in the second quarter. Hudson recovered his own fumble in the end zone to bring Milton within 14-7.
The Panthers (3-5) seemed to have momentum when Mauricio Barber connected on a 23-yard field goal at the end of the first half to make it 21-10, but the Panthers would not score again.
"I think Crestview played a heck of a ballgame," Milton coach Mike McMillion said. "They ran the ball very well, and we made far too many mistakes to beat a good football team."
