Roswell beats Milton 41-39 on last-minute 48-yard FG, wins region
Balint Vorosmarty, a preseason all-state place kicker committed to Georgia State, made a 48-yard field goal with 42 seconds left to give No. 3 Roswell a 41-39 victory over No. 5 Milton.
The victory gave Roswell (9-1, 6-0) the Region 7-5A championship. Defending 5A champion Milton (7-3, 4-2) wound up the seed from the strong region. No. 4 Gainesville (8-2, 5-1) is the No. 2 seed.
Vorosmarty was critical in the fourth quarter. He also made a 29-yard field goal with 7:44 left, giving Roswell a 38-27 lead.
Milton later scored two touchdowns in two minutes, the second with 2:04 left for a 39-38 advantage. Milton failed on two-point tries after each one.
Roswell’s Dre Cousey returned the ensuing kickoff 49 yards to set up Roswell at the Milton 45-yard line with 1:54 left.
Trailing by two, Roswell failed to get a first down, but Vorosmarty delivered, matching his career long, then put his kickoff in the end zone to make it tough on Milton, which did not cross midfield before turning the ball over on downs.
Roswell quarterback Trey Smith rushed for 184 yards and four touchdowns on 34 carries and was 12-of-24 passing for 115 yards. Nick Peal rushed for 156 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.
Milton’s Bentley Hickman rushed for 256 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries and scored on runs of 62 and 75 yards in the first half to keep Milton in the game.
Keelon Wonsley also kept Milton around. In the second quarter, he intercepted a pass at the Milton 1. In the third quarter, Roswell had a third-and-2 on the Milton 29, leading 28-20, when Blaize Battaglia forced a fumble that defensive back Wonsley returned 70 yards for a touchdown.
Roswell led 457-437 in total yards and never punted.
The region title is Roswell’s seventh in 11 seasons, but first since 2015 when Milton was part of the same region. Roswell and Milton are arch-rivals in north Fulton County. They first met in 1950.
About the Author
Todd Holcomb has been a contributor to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1985. He is currently co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily.
