Milan over Camden 42-28

The Milan Bulldogs rolled onto Wright Field Friday night & battled the Lions to take a 42-28 non-Region victory back to Gibson County. The 'Dogs started fast, but the Lions never quit as both teams displayed some excellent talent.

Will Latendresse, Davie Miller, Ross Dudley, and Andy Travis met the refs & the Milan captains at midfield for the coin toss. They took the ball & Jeremy Crawley had the kick spinning down the middle. Devon White & Ross Dudley got him on the ground at the 34 & the Lions defense wasn't ready for what happened next! Milan's big back took the ball around left end & scored! 11:37 showing, kick good, and the Lions are down by 7.

Andy Travis handles the Bulldog kick deep, tries the center & adds a move to the left to get to the 32. Michael Gaskin has his team up the line, gives it to Devon as he powers thru the center, slides left & is tackled by his facemask. Add 15 yards & it's a Lions first down at the Milan 44! Devon slants right, but no gain. Give it to Ross as the 2nd man thru, no gain. Michael drops back to pass, but he is smothered for a loss at the 50 & Gaskin has them in punt formation. His high, deep spiral punt is fielded deep & Elias Nazi makes the stop at the 24.

9:09 on the clock as Milan strings together a 9-play drive that is stalled with big hits by Brandon Shannon & Larry Jamison to make it 2nd & 6 at the 13. Chris Pagal sticks the ball carrier as he tries right end after a gain of only 2. A flag just before the snap...false start & with the ball on the 15, Milan is suddenly in 3rd & 9. They try the center, but Will Latendresse meets him hard with Davie Miller & they call for the field goal team. The Lions have the surge, Larry Jamison has a hand on the ball & it's blocked! Lions ball at the 20!

Camden can't get the offense in gear & with 3:20 left in the first, Michael's punt is downed at the Milan 36.

Camden spots the Dogs five yards with an offsides penalty & they follow with a 7-play scoring drive that leaves 8.9 seconds on the clock. With the kick good, Milan is up 14-0. The Bulldog kicker is pumped & nails the kick into the endzone & the Lions will start at the 20.

Ross takes the handoff from Michael & slides right for a gain of one to end the first quarter. Gaskin's quick 2nd down pass to Dakota Summers is complete down the right sideline for a gain of 10, 1st down at the CHS 31. Devon White behind Will & Elias is good for four. Chris Pagal sprints around right end, knocks a Dog back & has a first down at the 41! An incomplete pass is followed by another quick pass to Dakota; he bulls one to the ground and has the first down at the Milan 48...time out Milan with 9:57 left before the break. Gaskin keeps on the roll right for no gain & two negative plays have Michael ready to punt. Thomas Pierpoint's snap is sure & Michael hangs it high with a spiral that takes it deep. Thomas slows the returner so that Devon & Tyler Plant can drop him inside the 20...add on a holding call on the Dogs & Milan starts at the 9.

Milan rolls out an 11-play scoring drive that ends with the ball carrier running untouched around right end to score with 4:38 left on the clock. Good kick & Lions are down by 3 scores.

Milan tries an onside kick that is recovered by Nick Ibarra & Camden starts at the 39. Michael starts the double handoff & Andy Travis ends it at their 40, plus another facemask call give Camden a first down at the 22! Gaskin rolls right, looks & hits Summers in the right end of the endzone for the score! Pierpoint snaps, Gaskin holds & Danny Kim drills the PAT kick high into the net! 4:06 on the clock & Camden has pulled it to within 14.

Milan tries to answer with a score of their own starting at their own 34. A quick pass gives just outside of right end is stopped by Brandon Shannon & Andy Travis, but it's enough for a first down at the 45, time out Lions. Their QB keeps slanting down left end & is met by Summers & Shannon at the Lions 49. Brandon is hurt & an official's time out has to be called to get proper care. Both sides offer an ovation for him as he leaves for further tests. 6 plays later, Milan is going for it with 4th & 2. They try the dive play over right tackle, but Camden stands tall & it's a Lions first down at the 24.

With 1:10 left before the break, the Lions "hurry up" offense starts with a Travis run around right end, he is sprung loose on the corner by a great block by Elias & has a 1st at the 38. Two incomplete passes, and then Ross Dudley is sprinting behind Elias, reads his block & drives to the Milan 43, Lions time out. 30 seconds left as Gaskin throws to Patrick Hassell at the 37. Spike the ball & talk it over. Two passes just miss Hassell & Dudley & the Lions go into the field house trailing by two scores.

The Milan Band takes the field & then the Camden band finishes with 32 seconds to spare before Davie Miller meets the refs & makes sure they know we get the ball to start the half. Travis fields the kick & speeds up the middle to the 31. Toss sweep around left end, Ross knocks two Dogs down & has the 1st down at the Milan 46! Devon around right end to the 39. Andy in motion left to right, shakes one pup at the corner & speeds to the 28 for another 1st down! Andy is the 2nd back thru for three. A tipped pass in the right flat is intercepted & it takes Ross & Thomas to get him on the ground 'way back at our 44.

Big Mo' is wearing purple & five plays later, they run around right end for the score. Kick is good & with 7:46 showing it's a 28-7 game. Travis fields the low line drive kick & is pushed out at the 8. Ross around right end, down at the 15 & an official's time out is used for Ross's injury, 2nd & 3. Pagal slides to the left & drives forward for a short gain. With 4th & 4, Gaskin's punt is away & the Lions down it at the Milan 49.

The Bulldogs start a 7-play scoring drive with a completed pass & finish with a run thru left tackle into the endzone. The kick is good & with 3:10 left in the 3rd, it's a 35-7 game. Jeremy Crawley fields their short kick & runs it out to the 41. Devon on the dive play, no gain. Dudley gets to the right edge, sees a seam inside & makes two would-be tacklers miss before he is run out of bounds at the 16! Andy slants in behind Thomas & Sean, cuts outside & is pushed back, but has the 11 yard line. Michael fakes the hand off, fakes the pitch & fakes them out! He is around right end for a 1st down at the 2! Ross Dudley carries behind Davie & Elias, they open up a space & he scores! Thomas to Michael & Danny boots it thru and the score is Milan 35, Camden 14.

Crawley bangs the low spinner deep so that Derek Easley, Devon & Ross can drop the runner at the 37. Milan throws the quick slant, but Nick Ibarra makes a great solo stop, no gain. To start the 4th quarter, the quick pass is complete, but the receiver is stripped of the ball & Patrick Hassell has it going the other way down the left sideline! First down Camden at the Milan 47!

Two runs are stopped for no gain, but Gaskin's pass to Summers is complete & Dakota drives for the 1st down at the 34. Gaskin keeps & is smothered for a loss of 2. Michael fakes the handoff right then gives to Andy headed left for a gain of 2. An incomplete pass makes it 4th & 10 with 9:10 left in the game, what 'cha gonna' do?

...let Michael run it!

Gaskin keeps behind Will, Thomas & Sean plus has blockers out in front that help get him a 1st down at the 16! Huge play! Andy picks his way along the left side of the line, has the corner & gets to the 5 before he is rolled out, 1st & goal. Ross picks up two around right end & then carries into the line for another tough yard. Michael calls his own number & the QB sneak finds pay dirt! Danny's kick is good & the score is 35-21 with 7:05 left.

Milan starts at their 38 & uses four running plays to score. Kicks' good & it's 42-21 with 5 minutes left in the game. Andy fields the kick, runs up the middle, makes two Dawgs miss & is down at the 42! Gaskin fakes the wide pitch & gives it to White for a gain of 9. The run around left end is smothered for a loss of 3 & an incomplete pass makes it 4th & 4. Hmmm, need a play...

Gaskin drops back, surveys the field & nails Dudley with a pass completion in the right flat. Ross turns it up field & has a first down at their 28! Ross again for three. Chris Pagal slants inside from left to right, has a gap & powers out the 19, 3rd & 1. A run around left end is smothered for a loss of 2, but Gaskin rolls right, looks deep, and then races to the down marker where he has a first down at the 16! Blake Riley steps in at QB while Michael works out a cramp & the handoff goes to Pagal for a gain of 3. Travis ends up with the 2nd hand off inside & gains 3. Gaskin back in & he rolls right, tucks it away & has the 1st down at the five. Time out CHS, first & goal. Andy Travis has the ball & speeds to the left pylon for the score! Danny Kim sends a rocket thru the sticks, and with 1.6 seconds on the clock, Milan leads by two scores.

Jeremy's kick is fielded, downed & the horn sounds on the final score of Milan 42, Camden 28.

Some stats of interest:
First Downs: CHS-18; M-21
Rushing yards: CHS-48 for 268; M-38 for 322
Passing yards: CHS-83; M-168
Comp/Att/Int: CHS-6/14/1; M-12/17/0
Fumbles/Lost: CHS-2/0; M-4/1
Penalties: CHS-2/10; M-6/50
Lions passing leader: Michael Gaskin 6 of 14 for 83 yards, 1 TD
Lions rushing leaders: Ross Dudley 11 for 104 yards, 1 TD & Andy Travis 15 for 103 yards, 1 TD

Leading Tacklers:
Nick Ibarra 14 total, 3 solo
Ross Dudley 13 total, 2 solo, 1 sack
Andy Travis 11 total, 5 solo


Talking with Lions Head Football Coach Kevin Ward afterwards about the non-Region loss:

"A tough loss tonight, I didn't feel like we played our best, but we did play well a lot of times. They are good enough that you have to play your best on every snap. We gave them too many long runs, too many turnovers, we just can't put ourselves behind in down & distance. I am very proud of my kids for hanging in there & playing hard they way that they did. They didn't quit."

On the quick Milan team that started even quicker:
"It almost took us a quarter to get used to their speed. We just can't simulate that in practice. What I was most proud of is that our kids hung in there even when they got behind, kept giving themselves a chance to win. Because of that, we made it a football game, made some folks stick around for four quarters! Just a great night for football. Great crowd support, the cheerleaders, band, just a good night to be playing ball."

On Brandon Shannon's injury:
"They were playing it safe. They have run a CT scan at the hospital & everything looks good. He has been released to go home tonight & some tests may follow Monday. He got his helmet knocked off & then he got hit on the head, plus he had a cut over his eye. Dr. Calfee was on the field quickly & since Brandon had a little tenderness in his neck, they wanted to play it safe. Having Dr. Calfee & Darrell Myrick on the sidelines is priceless. I know they are going to handle it the right way & it is a real relief the way that they help us out."

On the loud crowd:
"I do appreciate our fans, how they stood behind us, how loud they were! When we were down 14, 21 points, they were still encouraging our kids to keep playing hard. We are going to keep working hard, we still have a lot of exciting games ahead & we hope they will keep supporting us like that."

On what is next for the team in this week of practice:
"We are going to learn a lot from watching this tape. This may be the best team we play all year. They way I look at it, we have to fix our problems before we worry about what other teams are doing. We have got a huge game this week with Adamsville & we need to heal some bruises & bumps & hopefully we can get a good game plan together & go down there and play well. I think our kids will look at their mistakes & see where they can get it better positions. I expect they will come out here & work hard & try to get better. You hate to lose a game like this, but we are playing one of the best teams in the state; we went toe-to-toe with them & had a couple chances to close the gap. We showed a lot of heart out there, I was proud of their effort. If we don't win another game & our kids will give us that kind of effort, I would feel like this team was successful. The GOOD news is, if we DO give that kind of effort, you know they are going to win a lot of the time!"

Let's all make the drive to Adamsville next week to cheer the Lions on to a needed 7AA Region victory over the Cardinals!

GO LIONS!