REIGNING IN THE RAIN: Although Milford Mill's passing attack was rendered ineffective during Saturday's downpour, 6-foot-3, 200-pound quarterback, Kevin Fulton -- who has thrown 15 touchdowns this season --- still managed a potent running attack that produced his 11th rushing touchdown in a 23-0 Class 3A North Regional semifinal victory over Baltimore County Class 4A-3A League rival Franklin. "The ball was slippery and the wind was blowing out of control," Fulton said. "But coach [Greg] Trodgden called the right plays, and we were able to run the ball behind a line that was blocking good. We were able to execute on some important plays."
Kevin Fulton ran for his 11th touchdown, Miguel Bernard kicked two
extra points and a fourth-quarter, 25-yard field goal, and Eric Lawson and Isaiah Brown each
ran for touchdowns as 16th-ranked Milford Mill blanked 14th-ranked
Franklin, 23-0, in Saturday's rain- and wind-hampered Class 3A North
Regional semifinal game played at Woodlawn.
The 6-foot-3, 200
pound Fulton entered the game having gone 88-for-145 passing for 1,803
yards and 15 touchdowns, but the Millers (9-2) had to adjust to the
downpour by running the ball.
"Most of the time, the ball was slippery and the wind was sometimes blowing out of control. But coach [Greg] Trodgden called the right plays," Fulton said. "We were able to run the ball behind a line that was blocking good. We were able to execute on some important plays."
In their previous meeting, two weeks ago, the Millers had to overcome an
early, 7-0, halftime deficit that was the result of an 8-yard run by Franklin's Carl Fleming and his teammate Jake Gibson's extra point kick.
The Millers
rebounded to overcome the Indians (7-4), however, with Tyrik
Cheesboro's 72-yard, third quarter kickoff return, and Fulton's
game-winning, fourth-quarter, 43-yard pass to Ivan Mitchell.
"This time, it wasn't advantagious to throw the ball. We just started out running the ball every play," said sixth-year coach Reggie White, crediting Lawson and Aaron Marvin for their play at running back. "It was slippery. It was wet. You had to establish the running game, and we did that."
Marvin ran for 82 yards, Brown ran for 71 yards and a 5-yard touchdown, and Lawson, for 54 yards and a 13-yard touchdown as the Millers took a 14-0 halftime lead.
White credited linemen Sterling Moses, Garren Thompson, Antonio
McMichael, Telvin Peterson, Alphonso Wise (6-2, 190) and Reggie Fields
(6-4, 245).
"The line executed very well. Even when I went back in my three-step drop, they blocked," said Fulton, who scored on a 6-yard run. "They gave me a lot of time."
The Millers were Baltimore County Class 4A-3A League runners-up to the
Hereford Bulls (9-2), with whom they have earned a rematch of their earlier,
28-27 loss to the Bulls -- a game Milford Mill led, 21-7, at halftime.
"The kids remember it, and we all remember it," White said. "We just have to go out there and execute at their place. That's what it boils down to."
The
Millers -- who will visit the Bulls for Friday's Class 3A North Region
title game -- are in their first playoffs since 2005 when their program
reached the Class 2A state semifinals.
The Indians, winners of the Class 3A North Regional crown in 2006, were in their third straight playoff berth.
"My hat goes off to the Franklin coaching staff. It's definitely hard to beat a team twice. I think that our guys just collectively came to play today," said White, who has a career record of 49-17. "They just had one heartbeat and they wanted to win. They executed today on the field."
White said moving sophomore Isaiah Brown (6-2, 235) from linebacker to
noseguard was a key, as were linebackers Thompson and Bernard Clark.
Defensive ends Moses and McMichael "had big games as well," White said.
Clark had seven tackles, a sack and recovered a fumble. Moses had a sack.
"Last time we played them, we started in a 4-4 and flirted around with
a 5-3," White said. "This time, we came out in a 5-3 and changed it up with a 4-4
every now and then, brought some outside stuff and not too much inside
without doing a whole lot of blitzing."
"We had a couple of turnovers, and it was back-and-forth, 7-0 game for a while," White said. "Navassa Brown and [Carl Fleming] -- the kid that's going to Pittsburgh -- they're good ballplayers on a good team."
Milford Mill 23, Franklin 0Franklin 0 0 0 0 0Milford Mill 7 7 6 3 23M- Isaiah Brown 5 run (Migel Bernard kick)M- Kevin Fulton 6 run (Miguel Bernard kick)M- Eric Lawson 3 run (kick failed)M- Miguel Bernard 25 FG