High School Football: Milton, Roswell Continue Long-Standing Rivalry

By Mike Blum

North Fulton’s longest and most intense high school football rivalry resumes Friday, Sept. 30, but for most of the past three-plus decades, it’s been a pretty one-sided rivalry.

Milton hosts next-door rival Roswell, which has dominated the series since 1983, but not so much for the last eight years.

From 1983 to 2007, Roswell went 22-2 against the Eagles, including a memorable region playoff victory at Milton in 1993 when the Hornets snatched away what appeared to be a stirring Milton last-minute victory with a long touchdown pass in the closing seconds.

The Hornets won 14 straight games during that stretch, with Milton finally ending the streak with a shutout victory in 1996.

Region realignment kept the two teams from playing in 1997 and 1999, and after a Roswell victory in 1999, the Eagles picked up another win thanks to a strong defensive effort in 2000. The Hornets ran off another winning streak beginning in 2001, with most of Roswell’s next seven victories coming by decisive margins.

The Eagles won for just the third time in 25 tries in 2008 when quarterback Wil Perry engineered a 95-yard drive in the final two minutes, hitting a diving A.J. Canara in the corner of the end zone for a tying touchdown inside the final 10 seconds. Freshman Matt Thomas added the PAT for a 20-19 Milton victory.

The Hornets rolled to consecutive wins by large margins the next two years before the Eagles pulled out another last-second victory in 2011 in the final week of the regular season.

Needing a victory to prevent an 0-10 season, Roswell led 13-7 with 36 seconds to play and stopped future Auburn standout running back Peyton Barber on fourth-and-2 from the Hornets’ 15.

But Roswell was penalized on the play, giving the Eagles a first down. Quarterback Colin McElroy hit Ryan Jenkins for eight yards and a touchdown with less than 20 seconds on the clock to tie the game at 13, and Chris Mills followed with the winning extra point.

After watching the Hornets run up 30 point or more points against the Eagles eight times in a 12-year stretch from 1999 to 2010, Milton finally got the chance to light up the scoreboard against Roswell in 2012.

With Division 1 caliber players in the offensive line and backfield, the Eagles hammered the Hornets for 388 yards rushing and 547 total in a 45-31 victory. Barber rushed for 265 yards, including touchdown runs of 80 and 39 yards, but wasn’t the best back on the field that night. Roswell’s Andrew Kwateng had 295 yards and TD runs of 48, 57 and 70 yards, but it wasn’t enough as the Hornets lost by two touchdowns despite gaining over 500 yards.

After the Eagles dominated the Hornets 33-3 in 2013, Roswell stole a page from Milton’s book of last-minute winning touchdowns the next year.

Receiver Mechane Slade, currently playing college football at Memphis, tipped a 13-yard pass to himself to beat tight double coverage for the winning TD in the final 25 seconds as Roswell ended a 3-year losing streak with a thrilling 33-31 victory.

It was the only loss for the Eagles until they were defeated by eventual state champion Colquitt County in the quarterfinals, ending the most successful in Milton football history. Sophomores Sheldon Evans and Jayden Comma scored touchdowns for the Hornets in that game and were key parts of a 49-3 Roswell rout last year that improved the Hornets’ record to 36-24- 1 in the series, which was first played in 1950. Since 2008, the series is even at 4-4.

Milton led 13-3, including 12 straight wins in one stretch, when the rivalry was halted from 1964-69 after a post-game fight in 1963 that included players and spectators. This year’s game is not expected to end in a nasty brawl, but is likely to add to Roswell’s winning record in the series. The Hornets come into Friday’s game as the consensus No. 1 team in the state, going 4-0 against a schedule that includes the team that beat Roswell in last year’s AAAAAA state championship and a defending state runner-up.

Roswell, in its fourth season under coach John Ford, has outscored its four opponents 136-16, with Evans and linemen Jack Nichols and Jordan Tucker powering a strong running game and senior transfer Malik Willis providing a run/pass threat at quarterback. Comma and senior transfer Corey Reed lead a talented group of receivers.

Roswell’s veteran defense features major college prospects Xavier McKinney, LeAnthony Williams and Justus Harris in the secondary, and a host of productive senior linemen and linebackers.

The Eagles (2-2), in their sixth season under coach Howie DeCristofaro, fell 28-10 to Etowah in their most recent game.

Senior running back Cam Adams, who transferred from Alpharetta after his sophomore season, has matched Evans’ rushing stats, but the Eagles have yet to pass for 100 yards in a game and have struggled defensively since an opening 14-12 victory over Alpharetta.

Milton is 2-0 this season in rivalry games, also winning in their first ever meeting with Cambridge 28-21. It would be perhaps the biggest upset in the history of the lengthy series if the Eagles added a third rivalry win against the Hornets.

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