Class 5A: Milton 56, Hughes 35

Recap: Milton set a state finals record with 671 total yards while producing a 400-yard passer (Luke Nickel), two 100-yard receivers (Ethan Barbour, Tristen Payne) and one 200-yard rusher (T.J. Lester). Nickel, an AJC Super 11 quarterback signed with Miami, was almost perfect, completing 21 of 22 passes for 413 yards and four touchdowns. Milton never trailed, but Hughes traded lightning bolts in the first half, scoring touchdowns on five straight possessions and tying the score at 21-21 and 28-28. The teams scored four touchdowns, two apiece, in 73 seconds late in the first half, which ended with Milton leading 42-35 in points and 467-397 in total yards. There were six scoring plays of 50 yards or more, all in the first two quarters. Milton scored on the opening drive of the second half, going 80 yards on 11 plays, and held Hughes to 54 total yards and no points the rest of the way.

History: Milton’s 671 total yards exceeded Valdosta’s 625 in 1971, Prince Avenue Christian’s 609 in 2022 and Warner Robins’ 601 in 2020 in what are believed to be the highest previous offensive outputs in finals history. The 91 points for both teams are tied for second-most in finals history behind the 105 scored when Mill Creek beat Carrollton 70-35 in 2022. Griffin beat Carrollton 56-35 for 91 points in 2013. Nickel became the 14th Georgia quarterback to pass for 10,000 yards in his career (10,169). Milton, ranked No. 1 since preseason, won its third state title, second in a row, and completed its first unbeaten season at 15-0 while clinching multiple top-five national rankings. Hughes, a state champion most recently in 2022, finished 13-2. 

Game Statistics

Hughes - 7-28-0-0 - 35

Milton - 21-21-7-7 - 56

First quarter

M - T.J. Lester 6 run (Alex Nover kick), 8:25

M - Jordan Carrasquillo 70 pass from Luke Nickel (Nover kick), 4:02

H - Carsyn Baker 70 run (Alex Brock kick), 3:46

M - Ethan Barbour 50 pass from Nickel (Nover kick), 1:57

Second quarter

H - Maurice Gleaton 62 pass from Christian Langford (Brock kick), 11:54

H - Baker 1 run (Brock kick), 8:55

M - Barbour 3 run (Nover kick), 5:52

H - Baker 8 run (Brock kick), 1:16

M - Tristen Payne 65 pass from Nickel (Nover kick), 1:06

H - Gleaton 65 pass from Langford (Brock kick), 0:50

M - C.J. Wiley 23 pass from Nickel (Nover kick), 0:03

Third quarter

M - Lester 6 run (Nover kick), 7:43

Fourth quarter

M - Lester 2 run (Nover kick), 6:36

Rushing: Hughes - Carsyn Baker 14-115, Christian Langford 16-66, Qwantavious Wiggins 5-30, Team 1-(-2), Xavier Tiller 1-(-3). Milton - T.J. Lester 25-201, Luke Nickel 7-52, Amauri Anderson 3-7, Ethan Barbour 1-3, Kevin Maven-Winchester 1-(-5).

Passing: Hughes - Christian Langford 15-19-0-245, Jabri Jones 0-1-0-0. Milton - Luke Nickel 21-22-0-413.

Receiving: Hughes - Jovanni McGee 4-26, Jabri Jones 3-61, Chry'Shawn Sellars 3-25, Maurice Gleaton 2-127, Jeffery Taylor 2-2, Xavier Tiller 1-4. Milton - Ethan Barbour 9-139, Tristen Payne 4-109, C.J. Wiley 4-58, Jordan Carrasquillo 2-91, TJ Lester 1-11, Ryan Ghea 1-5.

Previous
Previous

Flag football Division 4: McEachern 26, Lambert 6

Next
Next

Class 2A: Carver (Columbus) 52, Burke County 14