In their 36-27 home win over the Mill Creek Hawks on Friday in the Class 7A quarterfinals, the Milton Eagles introduced a new offensive weapon and changed up the playbook to supplement their season-long playmakers Jordan McDonald and Devin Farrell.
Eagles 5-star defensive end LT Overton rushed for a 2-yard touchdown and 2-point conversion for his first offensive carries of the season, and McDonald carried the ball 20 times for 201 yards and two touchdowns, including a 92-yarder in the first quarter.
The No. 3 Eagles, champions of Region 5, improve to 12-1 and return to the semifinals for the first time since 2018, when they won their only title in a program that dates to 1950. They beat the Hawks in the playoffs that year too.
The Eagles will host No. 9 Walton (8-3), a No. 3 seed from Region 3 that beat Brookwood 49-28 Friday.
In addition to Overton, lineman Elliott Meyer was used as a receiver on a pass play that netted 28 yards — part of a scoring drive that ended with Overton’s touchdown run that gave the Eagles the lead for good at 29-24 with 6:26 left in the third quarter.
It was Overton and McDonald who served as bruisers in the backfield to which the Hawks had no answer.
McDonald’s 1-yard touchdown with 3:25 remaining brought the score to its final margin and capped a 90-yard, seven-minute drive that consisted of 13 plays, all running. McDonald accounted for 69 yards on 10 carries that drive, with Farrell adding 21 yards on three carries.
McDonald credited his blockers for success in the run game, where the Eagles gained 241 yards on 38 carries to Mill Creek’s 69 yards on 29 carries.
“We call that last drive a ‘man drive’” said McDonald, a senior committed to UCF. “It showed how strong our bond as runners is with the O-line for us to trust them. My fullback Elliott Meyer, he’s been working his butt off for four years. I know how much this meant to him and that just meant the world to me. Especially with that game-winning touchdown going right behind his back. He look back at me and I could see the tears in his eyes — it really meant a lot to us.”
The No. 4 Hawks (11-2), a No. 2 seed from Region 8, took control early. After forcing the Eagles to punt on the game’s opening drive, they moved 60 yards on eight plays and scored on Zekai Wimby’s 9-yard run on a direct snap to go up 7-0 with 7:35 left in the first.
The Eagles punted their next possession and the Hawks appeared poised to extend the lead, taking over on the Milton 40. But the Hawks were called for holding on the drive’s first play, and on first-and-20, Hawks quarterback Hayden Clark attempted a pass downfield that was intercepted by Braydon Holmes at the 8-yard line.
Next was McDonald’s 92-yard scoring run, which tied the game with 4:29 left in the first. On the play, he found a small crease up the middle, cut to the left, high-stepped a would-be tackler and broke free in the open field.
“We knew we were backed up in our own territory and that it was a dangerous zone for us to be in,” McDonald said. “The coaches told me they trusted me and I just used that to take me through it all. I saw my read, Elliott Meyer had a great block, I ran off him and the rest was history.”
Mill Creek would reclaim the lead at 10-7 with a 37-yard field goal from Trace Butcher with 1:35 left in the first. The drive was set up when the Eagles muffed a punt and the Hawks recovered on the Milton 17.
The Hawks held the lead for 21 seconds. Farrell, a Virginia Tech commit, ran for 23 yards on the Eagles’ first play of their drive, moving to the Mill Creek 43. On the next play, he delivered a strike to Brooks Bortle for a 57-yard touchdown to put them ahead 14-10 with 1:14 left, ending the scoring of a busy first quarter.
On the Hawks’ next drive, they fumbled right to Milton’s Robert Billings, who in stride recovered the ball and ran it for a 45-yard touchdown. The Hawks were called for a penalty on the play, and Eagles coach Adam Clack decided to go for two, using Overton on a direct snap to bulldoze his way into the end zone and give the Eagles a 22-10 lead with 10:23 left in the half.
“We feel like anytime where we just need to get a yard-and-a-half we can give it to one of them big boys and they can get it,” Clack said. “Three yards is a little tough, but we got half-the-distance so we figured we could steal a point.”
The Hawks would respond their next drive when Clark found Brendan Jenkins on a 14-yard pass to the corner of the end zone, with Jenkins, who was well-covered, leaping over a defender to come down with the catch, making it 22-17 — a score that would hold through halftime.
The first play of the second half was a 74-yard pass from Clark to Justin Content, giving the Hawks first-and-goal from the 6. Two plays later, Clark found Jenkins again on a 5-yard pass to give them a 24-22 lead with 10:44 left in the third.
That would be the final touchdown the Hawks would score, however.
From there, the Eagles defense, which had disrupted Mill Creek all night — and the Milton ground game — closed the Hawks out.
In all, the Eagles had five sacks for minus-42 yards.
Clack said Walton will be a challenge next week.
“They’re a No. 3 seed from what I think is the toughest region in the state with them, Marietta and North Cobb,” Clack said. “So I’m not surprised at all that they were able to come through that bottom bracket, and I know (Walton coach Daniel Brunner) is going to have them ready to go. So, that’s going to test us in every way possible.”
Mill Creek 10 7 10 0 — 27
Milton 14 8 7 7 — 36
MC — Zekai Wimby 9 run (Trace Butcher kick)
M — Jordan McDonald 92 run (Felipe Mota kick)
MC — Butcher 37 FG
M — Brooks Bortle 57 pass from Devin Farrell (Mota kick)
M — Robert Billings 45 fumble return (LT Overton run)
MC — Brendan Jenkins 14 pass from Hayden Clark (Butcher kick)
MC — Jenkins 5 pass from Clark (Butcher kick)
M — Overton 2 run (Mota kick)
MC — Butcher 24 FG
M — McDonald 1 run (Mota kick)
