Scoreless through three quarters, Milton finally broke through in the fourth quarter for a 17-0 win against Forsyth Central in a Region 5-7A game on Friday at Bulldog Stadium.

With both defenses locking down the opposing team’s offense, it took Eagles kicker Hayden Hairston to come through with a 34-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter for either team to get on the board. Milton (6-2, 2-1) later scored two more touchdowns on runs by their quarterback Jordan Yates (91 yards) and running back Solomon Vanhorse (five yards) to ice the game.

The Bulldogs’ best chance to score came with a little over 3 minutes remaining in the first half when a long eight-plus minute drive ended at the Milton 1-yard line when workhorse running back Devron Orsan lost a fumble. Orsan had a great day overall with 28 total carries for 92 yards.

“We had great lead blockers and a great [offensive] line,” Orsan said. “I couldn’t have asked for anything better. We’ve got it all down; we just need to work harder.”

Bulldog’s quarterback Brad Thiltgen finished the game completing 6 of 11 passes for 20 yards and also had 36 yards rushing. Defensively, Central had a big interception by Matt Falink that halted a Milton drive that had moved inside the Bulldogs’ 15-yard line in the first half.

In the second-half, the Eagles’ defense stepped up – they held the Bulldogs to only 54 total yards while also picking off Thiltgen late, which led to Milton’s final score of the game.

Despite the loss, Central Head Coach Frank Hepler was proud of his team and knows the team is heading in the right direction.

“The defense played hard, and the offensive line did a great job,” Hepler said. “We wanted to use our running game as much as we could and keep the ball away from their great athletes. Coach [Scott] Walker does a great job with the offensive line, and Coach [Dustin] Cannon, our offensive coordinator, had a great plan. But you can’t get behind when that is your plan. We gave up that field goal, and then we tried to get away from [the plan] a little bit.

“And give [Milton] credit; they stepped up and stopped a couple of run plays when they had to. I know [Milton head coach] Coach [Adam] Clack really well. He was my offensive coordinator at West [Forsyth High School], and we’re great buddies.

“But we came out, and we competed, and that is all I am asking from these kids. We’re trying to rebuild this program, and the kids are buying in. We are getting better. Little by little.”