Football Recap: Milton Comes Up Short in High-Profile Game with Gainesville + How To Watch

Milton faced Gainesville in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Eagles took a 28-16 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Red Elephants. That makes it the first time this season the Eagles have let down their home crowd.

Milton's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ben Halevi, who threw for 254 yards and one touchdown, and also rushed for 34 yards. Bentley Hickman was another key rusher, rushing for 100 yards and one score.

NIGEL NEWKIRK had another great game (as he tends to do), rushing for 162 yards and three TDs while picking up 10.1 yards per carry for Gainesville. Those three rushing touchdowns gave NEWKIRK a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of KHARIM HUGHLEY, who threw for 119 yards and one touchdown.

Milton's defeat was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 6-2. As for Gainesville, the win was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 7-1.

Milton will have a little extra prep time after the loss as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Johns Creek at 7:30 p.m. on the 24th. The Eagles will be up against the Gladiators' rather soft defense (which has allowed 54.43 points per game), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance. As for Gainesville, they wasted no time getting back out on the field and have already played their next contest, a 55-3 victory against Chattahoochee on the 17th.