Milan holds off Bolivar
MILAN - The Milan Bulldogs held on to win a thriller 22-17 over the Bolivar Central Tigers Friday night.
With Milan (8-3) holding a 22-3 lead with 6:48 left in the game, the Tigers (6-5) roared back with consecutive touchdowns to cut the lead to 22-17 with just under a minute left.
However, the Bulldogs recovered the ensuing onside kick to escape with the victory.
Milan head coach Jeff Morris thought his kids responded well to the late adversity.
“It was a physical game,” Morris said. “I thought their kids played well, and our kids kept playing. We were never rattled, and we were able to win and move on.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Football - Bolivar at Milan
Milan will visit Covington in the second round Friday, as the Chargers knocked off Dyersburg.
One area that really made a difference in Milan’s win Friday was special teams.
The Milan special teams were exceptional all night with two field goals, a fumble recovery on a Bolivar kickoff, and a safety scored on a bad Tiger snap through the end zone.
“I thought we got a plus out of the kicking game,” Morris said. “There are a lot of ways to win games.”
A field goal by each team and a snap over the head of the Bolivar punter that went through the back of the end zone gave the game the very unconventional score of 5-3 Milan at halftime.
The Bulldogs took advantage of great field position early in the second half off of a Bolivar fumble on a kickoff, and JP Porter scored on an end around from four yards out to put Milan up 12-3 in the third quarter.
Milan fullback Tristen McDaniel bulldozed his way into the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and kicker Conner Allen connected on a 43-yard field goal later in the quarter to give the Bulldogs a 22-3 lead.
Bolivar responded immediately after the field goal with a 63-yard touchdown run by Dreke Lewis, and Lewis added the two-point conversion himself to cut the lead to 22-11.
The Tigers’ defense forced a Milan punt, and sophomore Tiger quarterback Trey Lowe led an 86-yard scoring drive that ended with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Quay Gunn.
This was as far as the Tigers got however, as Milan recovered the onside kick and ran the clock out to hold on for the victory.
