Milton, Roswell Undefeated Entering Friday's Showdown

By Mike Blum, Patch contributor

MILTON, GA — In modern history of the Roswell-Milton rivalry, it is rare when the two schools produce playoff-caliber teams in the same season. This longtime cross-boundary rival will meet for the 64th time at 7:30 p.m. Friday, with the Eagles at home against the Hornets.

Since Milton ended a losing streak in 1987 that lasted for three-and-a-half seasons, there have been three years when both teams won at least eight games. Three games into the 2018 season, both teams are 3-0 and seem destined for the playoffs, with Milton showing early signs of matching the success of the 2014 Eagles, the only team in the school's history to finish with 11 victories and win two playoff games.

Roswell's teams in 2015 and 2016 collectively went 14-1, with the only losses coming in state championship games. The Hornets are in position to make a run at a region title this season, with long-time rival Walton the main team standing in their way.

The Hornets have an overall record of 37-25-1 against the Eagles, losing to Milton only seven times since 1983, when the two teams began heading in opposite directions. Roswell is 27-7 against Milton over that span, with one of Milton’s victories coming in a 40-7 rout at Roswell last year, the fourth win by the Eagles in the last seven seasons in a rivalry that is no longer as one-sided as it was for almost three decades.

From 1983 to 2007, the Hornets went 22-2 against the Eagles. The two Milton victories in that span are the only two times in the modern history of the rivalry that Milton defeated a Roswell team that finished with a winning record and went to the playoffs. In 1992 and ’93 Milton went 8-2 in both regular seasons and made the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade. But the Hornets won in ’92 en route to a 9-2 record, and in two games decided by Roswell touchdown in the closing seconds, the latter coming in the playoffs in a truly crushing fashion for the Eagles.

Milton ended a 14-game losing streak to the Hornets in 1996, winning 19-0 over a Roswell team that reached the second round of the playoffs. The Eagles went 7-4 that season, and after a two-year break in the rivalry caused by GHSA realignment, a 5-5 Milton team upset the Hornets 17-7, with Roswell again advancing to the second round of the playoffs.

The Eagles did not have a winning record again until 2008, when they went 8-3 and beat a 5-5 Roswell team 20-19. The Hornets were in a similar situation to the 2017 squad, coming off 23 wins and deep playoff runs the previous two years before huge graduation losses and a coaching change. The Hornets again dominated in 2009 and ’10, but suffered through a winless season in 2011 and did not return to their winning ways until 2014.

In arguably the best matchup ever between the two teams in ‘14, the Hornets again broke the Eagles’ hearts in the closing seconds, winning 33-31 to hand Milton its only regular season loss. The 8-4 Hornets lost in the second round of the playoffs, while Milton made it to the quarterfinals for the first time before losing to the eventual state champion.

The last three games in the series have been mismatches, which has frequently been the norm. This season could be different unless the Eagles are as good as they’ve shown so far, while Roswell has been the beneficiary of a relatively soft schedule. Milton’s three victories have come against one of the Georgia’s top teams (Archer), a highly-ranked Florida opponent and local rival Alpharetta, which is ranked in the top 10 in Class AAAAAA. The Eagles are ranked either second or third in AAAAAAA in four of the six main Georgia high school football polls.

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The Eagles are a veteran, senior-dominated team led on offense by dual threat senior quarterback Jordan Yates, a three-year starter and Georgia Tech commit. Yates has passed for 489 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 173 yards and two scores for a balanced Milton attack. Senior Josh Edwards has taken over as the primary running back, rushing for 254 yards and four touchdowns behind a line led by junior standout Paul Tchio (6-5, 330). Seniors Jordan Cox and Holden Shaw are Yates’ main targets, with Cox (9 catches, 243 yards, 3 touchdowns) the team’s big play threat and Shaw (11-98-2) the primary possession receiver.

Defensively, the Eagles sport a strong group of linebackers led by senior Jordan Davis, with Clemson commit Joe Charleston the key man in the secondary. Junior linebackers Stephen Michaels and Jack Rhodes rank second and third on the team in tackles behind Davis, with senior Allen Walker the leading pass rusher with five sacks and a total of nine tackles for losses. Seniors Charlie Kenney, Syaire Waters and Uriah Mellem join Charleston in a secondary that will be tested by what has been an effective passing game for the Hornets.

After three straight seasons of starting senior transfers at quarterback, the Hornets have a home grown quarterback this season, with junior Ethan Roberts off to a successful start. Roberts has passed for 641 yards and six touchdowns in three games, with senior running back Kamonty Jett providing a strong running threat in his second season as a starter.

Jett rushed for over 1200 yards in the regular season last year, and is averaging 110 yards per contest this season with four touchdowns. Roberts has two big play receivers, with senior Jacob Jarrett and junior John Copenhaver combining for 518 yards and all six touchdown catches. Jarrett has 12 receptions for 277 yards and four touchdowns, twice going over 100 yards in a game.

Copenhaver had a huge game against local rival Centennial with 203 receiving yards including two long touchdowns, and is averaging almost 27 yards per catch. Jarrett averages 23 yards per reception. Junior Trey Zimmerman and senior Alex Nikolich lead a mostly veteran offensive line for the Hornets, who will face their toughest test of the season against a stout Milton defense.

Linebacker Tyron Hopper and safety Sam Antona, both seniors, are among the few returning players on
the Roswell defense, with junior linebacker Doneiko Slaughter making a major impact thus far this season. Other key defenders for the Hornets are juniors Khaleed Mobley, Will Troutman, John Michael Diroberto and Caleb Bondurant and seniors Shaun Rosenquist and Joshua Reid.

Both teams have second-year head coaches, with Milton’s Adam Clack 12-3 overall with a playoff win last year after previously serving as head coach at West Forsyth. Matt Kemper, who helped revive Johns Creek’s program in his brief stay there, led the Hornets to a post-season berth last year after massive graduation losses, with the Hornets already matching their win total for all of 2017.

Mike Blum can be reached at michaelmblum@hotmail.com

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