Milton and Choctaw battle to scoreless tie

FORT WALTON BEACH — In football defenses are ahead of the offense at the start of the season.
When Milton visited Choctawhatchee High for Friday’s Kickoff Classic it was very evident as both teams played to a 0-0 tie in two quarters of play.
For the Panthers and coach Mike McMillion, his defense did what he expected them to do.
“The defense got after it,” said McMillion. “I was proud of the defensive effort.”
His counterpart across the sideline, first year coach Greg Thomas wanted to see the effort his charges would give against a team they will face later this season.
 “It was good to see the kids compete,” Thomas said. “We needed that, and I am sure Milton did too. The big thing was the effort.”
Milton turned in a total of 128 yards of offense with 74 of those yards coming on 19 carries.
But they could have put the game away despite the amount of total yards or the two turnovers forced by the Indians’
Midway through the second quarter Milton had the Indians’ defense back against its own goal line but they held to preserve the shutout.
“Offensively we are looking for consistency,” said McMillion. “But we had some ups and downs.”
The Panthers also enjoyed some good fortune as Choctaw had a chance to pull out the win late, but a 28-yard field goal by Dillon Drake was wide left with 1:19 left to play.
Offensively, Milton was led by running back Cody Johnson, who finished with 29 yards on seven carries.
Mikey McMillion completed 3-of-5 passes for 31 yards, while sophomore Matt Floyd came in later to complete 3-of-6 for 23 yards.
Ethan Powell led the Panthers receiving corps with four receptions for 31 yards, while Patrick Lloyd had one catch for 20 yards.
When the two teams meet again on Oct. 3, one of the Indians’ offensive weapons to watch out for will be Le’Keefe Robinson led the way with 55 yards on three carries, while David Weber had 40 yards on seven carries. Weber also went 3-of-8 through the air for 10 yards and an interception.
“Offense was sloppy tonight with penalties, but aside from those I thought we looked OK,” Thomas said.
This Friday the Indians will travel to Gulf Breeze, while Milton will make a return trip to Ft. Walton Beach to visit the Vikings for their regular season opener.
Roy Moulder was credited with the interception of Weber’s pass for the Panthers.
Milton won the JV half 2-0 when a Choctaw punt ricocheted off the head of an offensive lineman and rolled back into the end zone.