SEASON SNAPSHOT

2023 Schedule

Aug. 25—at South Williamsport

Sept. 1—vs. Towanda

Sept. 8—at Midd-West

Sept. 15—vs. Mount Carmel

Sept. 22—vs. Holy Redeemer

Sept. 29—at Hughesville

Oct. 6—vs. Bloomsburg

Oct. 13—at Mifflinburg

Oct. 20—vs. Canton

Oct. 27—vs. Warrior Run better every week.

“That’s the mantra. Every day we want to take the next step forward,” Zettlemoyer said.

Zettlemoyer has a strong senior class pounding those words into the players’ heads each day and that helps. So does having some excellent starters returning as well as some promising newcomers. Milton also receives a boost with running back Chris Doyle returning. Doyle ran for an area freshman record 1,174 yards before missing last year with a torn ACL suffered in Milton’s first preseason scrimmage.

Add in the brilliant new stadium which opened up last season and both the program and, really the entire town, are bursting with optimism as the season approaches. That is a big change from the previous decade and Milton is embracing it.

“It’s within the walls of the school and it’s within the community. Right now, we have some students who have really bought in with all the sports. With the new complex, too, that’s bound to generate some excitement. Our teams are having success and kind of seeing the fruits of their labor.”

Those fruits produced quite a season lastyearasMiltonwonitslastsix regularseasongamesandsuffered itsonlyregular-seasonlossagainst MountCarmel,agamewhichit heldahalftimelead.Selinsgrove thumpedMiltonintheDistrict4 ClassAAAAsemifinals,butthat hasonlyaddedmorefueltothe BlackPanthers’collectivefireenteringthisseason.

Thoseflamesroseespeciallyhigh afterMiltonfollowedupasix-win improvementin2021withanother two-winbumplastseason.The Pantherspoundedmostoftheiropponents,oftencontrollingtheline whiledisplayingmorebalancethan thepreviousyear.Thedefensealso enjoyeditsbestseasonindecades.

Therearesomebigvoidstofill thisyear,butMiltonhaschanged itsculturethepasttwoseasons. Thatisahugestepintherightdirectionand,onceatransitionlike thathappens,itmakesiteasierfor alltheotherpiecestofallintoplace. ItalsofostersbeliefandZettlemoyerwitnessedstrongoffseason numbersasMiltonattackedthe weightroomandotherareas.

“Comingofflastyear’sseason, thekidskeepworkinghardand makingprogress,”hesaid.“Last year’sseniorsandthisyear’sseniorsaregreatleadersonandoffthe field.They’regreatrolemodelsfor theyoungerkidsandhopefullythat paysdividendsdowntheroadas well.”

HavingCaleBastianbackat quarterbackshouldhelpMilton, too.AfterplayingatSelinsgrovethe previoustwoseasons,Bastianfit likeagloveatMilton,nearlythrowingfor1,000yardsinhisfirststartingexperience,whileadding561 rushingyards.Miltonalsowillbe

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2022 RESULTS (9-2)

Milton 28, South Williamsport 0

Milton 21, Towanda 7

Milton 42, Midd-West 0

Milton 19, Mount Carmel 41

Milton 42, Holy Redeemer 13

Milton 47, Hughesville 7

Milton 21, Bloomsburg 13

Milton 29, Mifflinburg 26

Milton 50, Cowanesque Valley 6

Milton 63, Warrior Run 7

District 4 Class AAAA Suarterfinals

Milton 0, Selinsgrove 0 tweakingitsoffensethisseason and,combiningthatwithBastian’s comfortlevel,couldbemorepotent vertically.

Miltonmustreplaceatremendousplayerandleaderinrunning back/widereceiverXzavierMinium buthassomeexcitingoptions. Doylemayneedsometimetoget backintotheflowfollowinglast year’sinjurybutcouldbepotentas hedoes.MasonRoweandMonty Fisherdidexcellentjobshelping negateDoyle’slosslastseason,combiningfor802yardsandeight touchdowns.Bothreturnasdoes fullbackTreyLocke.

PeytonRearickgivesMiltona dangerousreceivingoptionand tightendLukeGoodwincouldplay akeyroleaswell.Helpingmake theentireoffensegowillbeanoffensivelinewhichmustreplace threestartersbutwhichhastwoexcellentbuildingblocksinHunter ZettlemoyerandGaryVerdinelli whowillhavesevenyearsstarting experiencebetweenthem.Alex KrallandConnorSnyderaretwo playerswhocouldhelpfillthose holesandMiltonhastwoexcellent linecoachesinTravisKralland MikeBergey,sothatgroupisexcitedaboutthechallenge.

2022 Leaders

2023 Football Players To Watch

Cale Bastian, QB/LB: Milton turned its program around two seasons ago with a run-heavy offense, but Bastian added a bigger passing element last season and his continued growth in his second year with the program could provide a big boost. Bastian made a run at 1,000 yards, throwing for 952 yards and 10 touchdowns. He threw for a career-high 195 yards and two touchdowns in a win against Holy Redeemer and also gives Milton a mobile threat who can gash teams with his legs. Bastian was outstanding on read option plays and led the team in rushing throughout the first half of the season. The senior finished with 561 yards and seven touchdowns. He topped 100 rushing yards three times. Bastian put on an exciting display against Mount Carmel, running for 168 yards and two touchdowns.

Peyton Rearick, DB/WR: One of the areaʼs top safeties, Rearick also is a Swiss Army Knife on offense, using his athletic ability to give Milton multiple ways to utilize his strengths. Rearick intercepted seven passes last season and quarterback a stout secondary as Milton enjoyed its best regular season since 2001. Rearick really stood out in a hard-fought win at Bloomsburg, returning an interception for a touchdown before sealing the victory with another last-minute pick. Rearick intercepted passes in four of 11 games and returned two for scores. He also is a dangerous receiver who can lineup in the backfield or be effective running jet sweeps. Rearick was tied for the team high with three touchdowns and totaled 359 yards with four touchdowns as a sophomore.

Gary Verdinelli, DL/OL: Excelling on both sides of the ball, Verdinelli helped Milton impose its will along each line. He has been the teamʼs leading sacker over the last two seasons and also is tough against the run. Verdinelli set a dominant defensive tone in a season-opening shutout against South Williamsport and played a vital role in Milton in shutting two opponents and holding four others to one score. Verdinelli gives Milton a quality matchup on the edge and is good at containing the outside run while also consistently getting after the quarterback. Verdinelli also is a three-year starter along the offensive line.

•••••••

PASSERATCMINYDSTD

Cale Bastian10653695210

RUSHERATYDSTD

Xzavier Minium8184414

Cale Bastian955617

Mason Rowe684316

Monty Fisher513712

Jaeden Canelo291993

RECEIVERRECYDSTD

Xzavier Minium183493

Peyton Rearick142673

Dylan Reiff122343

Hunter Zettlemoyer, OL/DL: Verdinelli forms a potent combination with Zettlemoyer on the left side of Miltonʼs line and the Black Panthers often could run at will behind those two. Zettlemoyer overpowered opponents and was a first team HACII and Sun-Gazette all-star. Even without injured Chris Doyle who had gone over 1,000 yards as a freshman in 2021, the running game did not miss a beat with the 250-pound senior helping set the physical tone. Zettlemoyer helped three rushers go over 400 yards while averaging 30 points per game. Milton averaged 320 rushing yards per game and Zettlemoyer was part of a unit which frequently wore down defenses.

Branson and Ross Eyer graduated after shattering Muncy the passing and receiving record books. Fellow all-state linebacker Jason Shuda, four-year starter Elijah Weikle and reliable defensive back Brady Ryder are among other stellar Muncy graduates.

And even if outsiders are not focused on the players Muncy lost, the current players believe they are. Perception often is reality and the two-time defending NTL-II champions feel slighted.

Now they are eager to do something about it.

“The kids are chomping at the bit, ready to go. Everyone is working hard and they’re excited to get out there and show what they can do,” Muncy coach Sean Tetreault said. “They’re adamant about it. They know we lost some great players, but we have guys willing to step up and are eager to keep the tradition going.”

That tradition includes four District 4 Class A championships, six championship appearances and three league titles in the last seven years. Canton defeated Muncy in the finals the past two seasons, but the Indians enjoyed the best regular season in program history last season, going 9-0 there before finishing 10-1. They also extended their regular season winning streak