Courtesy of Fletcher Proctor

In what was expected to be a battle of the ground games, Milton topped Roswell 45-31 using a balanced offensive attack highlighted by two rushing scores from Treyvon Paulk, two rushing scores from Peyton Barber and two passing scores from A.J. Bush. Barber easily topped 100 yards rushing with scores from 80 yards and 34 yards while also serving as a first down machine throughout the game. Paulk scampered in from 27 yards out in the first quarter and later bulled his way in from seven yards out to help Milton polish off Roswell.

Bush hooked up with Malik Mitchell early in the first quarter and Paulk scored his first touchdown to help the Eagles soar out to a 14-0 lead; however, it was a Bush interception that gave Roswell a spark. After picking Bush off in the end zone, Roswell’s Andrew Kwatneg rushed 48 yards for a score. On the next Roswell possession, he would find paydirt from 57 yards to help the Hornets tie the game.

Barber would score his first touchdown after the kickoff reached the end zone, going 80 yards on the first down play. Milton looked as though it would hold a seven-point lead at halftime, but Roswell quarterback Ryan Monty found John Albert for a six-yard touchdown to tie the game 21-21.

In the second half, Kwatneg gave Roswell its only lead of the night, rushing 70 yards for a score on third down after an interception set Roswell up with the possession. Bush would quickly shake off the interception by finding Peter Bodurin for a 35-yard scoring connection.

A Barber 31-yard score was nullified by a holding call, but Paulk picked up his teammate with his second score to push the lead to 10 points. Just as they had all night, the Hornets responded when Kwatneg flipped the field with a 54-yard run, surpassing the 250-yard mark before the offense settled for a field goal. Barber’s second touchdown iced the game and gave Milton its final margin of victory.

Carl Lawson, the five-star defensive end, finished with 3.5 sacks, but the Milton offensive line suffered some bad news when Eason Fromayan had to leave the game early in the second half with a knee injury. He did not return.

With the win, Milton improved to 3-1 on the year while Roswell dropped to 1-3. Each continue region play next week.