Milford Mill football is the defending Class 2A state champion and the No. 10 Millers let that be known loud and clear in Friday night’s quarterfinal against visiting Potomac.
Running back Keion Sutton was covering plenty of ground. Quarterback Deshawn Purdie was finding Josh Pearson with big throws. And the defense wasn’t budging.
The Millers got their work done in the first half, scoring on six of seven possessions to force a running clock at the start of the second in a dominant 42-10 win over the Wolverines from Montgomery County.
Milford Mill improved to 9-2 and will meet Stephen Decatur — a 52-7 winner over Wilde Lake — in next week’s semifinals.
“Sutton just kept running and Purdie was making his reads. They played team ball,” Milford Mill coach Reggie White said. “We can be dangerous when it’s time. Feeling very good.”
The efficient play on offense led to some whopping numbers. Sutton ran for 238 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Purdie found Pearson on touchdown passes of 57 and 31 yards.
Varsity Highlights
On the Millers’ fourth offensive play, Sutton bounced outside for a 72-yard score down the right sideline that set the tone.
“I was just following my blocks, just giving all my effort right from the first play to start off fast. I’m leaving it all out there because this is my last year,” he said. “My line did a great job today. We had two guys playing both sides, so shout out to [Matt King and Dashawn Fields] and [tight end] LaDainian Blackwell blocking on the edge. I love my linemen.”
Coming off last year’s undefeated season, the Millers weren’t able to claim the Baltimore County crown and have had some stretches of inconsistent play. But not Friday against overmatched Potomac, which ends its season with an 8-4 mark.
Purdie sees things falling into place.
“This was our first awesome team win that came in the first half. We put up the big numbers in the first half and got our [second team] in there in the second half. That’s always the goal, and we’re going to keep this rolling,” he said.
The Millers defense did its share in the take-charge first half, limiting the Wolverines to just two first downs before going into the halftime break with a 42-0 lead. Defensive end Nazier James was the catalyst, wrecking one of Potomac’s three-and-out series with a big sack on first down followed by consecutive tackles.
For a second straight year, Milford Mill will meet Decatur in the state semifinals after claiming a 40-33 win last season. The Seahawks from Worcester County have outscored three playoff opponents by a whopping 152-21 margin.