Football: Milledgeville subdues Broncos

MILLEDGEVILLE – Like a villain in a horror movie, Orangeville just kept coming at Milledgeville Friday night, no matter how many “death blows” the host Missiles seemed to deal the Broncos.

But, like most horror movies, the villain was eventually slain, just when the heroes’ backs were planted firmly against the wall, as Milledgeville won 30-28.

“I really thought we fought well tonight,” said Missiles coach Jason Wroble. “Our guys kept fighting, and I’m really happy with the way we scrapped the whole game.”

Ahead 22-6 and dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball with only 8 minutes left, the Missiles looked poised for a clean runout and their fourth win in their first five games.

However, the win was in serious peril until a clutch defensive stand in the final seconds by the Missiles (4-1), who allowed 171 yards in the fourth quarter. In the end, the defense clamped down, forcing five straight incomplete passes to end the game, including on a final fourth-and-6 from the 29-yard line.

Prior to that, the Broncos (3-2) posted back-to-back touchdowns within 3 minutes of each other, both on deep passes by quarterback Austin Guy. Those scores cut the Milledgeville lead to 22-20, and in the middle of that chaos, Missiles lineman Blayne Kappes was ejected for a personal foul penalty that perhaps came in retaliation for a perceived late hit to the knees of Missiles QB Jack Munz on the previous
possession.

With Milledgeville’s once-comfortable situation suddenly crumbling, running back Nate Rahn gave his team a bit of a cushion by busting through for a 53-yard touchdown to stretch the lead back to 30-20 with just over 4 minutes left.

But, again, the Mike Meyers-like Broncos kept coming. Guy used his feet this time, breaking free for a 20-yard gain that set up a 6-yard TD run with 2:24 remaining. Orangeville forced a Missiles’ three-and-out to get the ball back near midfield with a minute left, but its drive stalled without a single completed pass.

“[Guy] is a dual threat,” Wroble said. “We knew it was going to be a challenge to contain him. He is one of the best players we’ve played against this year.”