MILTON – The Milton High School Panther football team snapped a two-game losing streak with a thrilling 29-28 overtime victory against Crestview High School at Hurley Manning Field on Friday night.

Despite finding themselves falling behind the Bulldogs at halftime with a score of 15-6, Head MHS Coach Chafan Marsh said his football team “held it together.”

“They held it together against a very athletic, very competitive Crestview football team,” Marsh said. “I just give the credit to the kids for hanging in there and getting the victory tonight.”

Marsh said this victory was much needed coming off a loss to Gulf Breeze High School last week during the school’s homecoming game. Friday night’s home game against Crestview did not start well for Milton.

“We were down 22 to 6 in the third quarter…the fans were leaving and we were not playing well,” he said.

The Bulldogs were the first to score in the second quarter on a touchdown run by quarterback Rusty Moorer. Moorer returned as the CHS starting quarterback after breaking his hand during the first game of the season. Although Moorer did throw two interceptions in the first half to Milton defensive back Martavious Odom, he  still caused problems for the Panther defense.  Within the final minute of the first half, Moorer extended the lead with a passing touchdown and 2-point conversion.

The Bulldogs continued to move to the ball on offense in the third quarter. Moorer made something of a broken play by finding Keon Viosin on a long touchdown pass, which extended the lead to 22-6.

While the Milton’s offense seemed to struggle for the first three quarters of the game, the Panthers found support from their ground game in a drive which ended with a short running touchdown from Shemar Henderson. The score brought the game closer for the Panthers, 22-12. The 2-point conversion attempt by Milton was no good.

Milton also capitalized on Bulldog penalties and a turnover, which gave Kicker Ben Coulter the opportunity to tie the ball game at 22 with a field goal in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.

In overtime, the Panthers were first to score on their possession with a touchdown run from Eric Hurst with a good extra point kick to follow. Crestview answered with a Moorer touchdown pass to Andrew Adkins in their overtime possession. Milton sealed the win by blocking Crestview’s extra point attempt.

Crestview host Fort Walton Beach on Friday in a District 3-6A game.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview falls to Milton in overtime

BAKER — A pair of Class 1A powers, Baker and South Walton, squared off at Doug Griffith Memorial Stadium with bragging rights on the line Friday night.

It was Homecoming 2015 at Baker and members of the 1985 state championship team were honored in pregame ceremonies. And then the 2015 Gators went out and showed the stuff that they hope will allow them to leave their own Baker legacy.

Last year it was South Walton snapping Baker’s 20-game regular season winning streak. If the Gators were looking for revenge, they got it.

Jon Beck hit Kalee Ciurleo with a 66-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and Josh Springle added the extra point to give Baker the 35-28 win.

“These guys are working hard and I still believe they are getting better, better and better,” Baker coach Matt Brunson said. “The proof will be in the next few weeks as they come together and we go over to Northview to play for the district championship.

“We knew it was going to come to the fourth quarter and we had to hit a big play or two and we did. It was awesome.”

The two offensive powers were locked in a defensive battle most of the game.

South Walton (3-3) scored the game’s first touchdown in the with six seconds left in the first quarter on a 10-yard pass from Dillon Bates to Lee Cox.

With 8:30 left in the second quarter Bates hit Austin Garofalo with a  58-yard scoring strike. The extra point was blocked and the Gators had hope.

Jalen Ciurleo scored Baker’s first touchdown from five yards out with 7:10 left in the half. The touchdown capped a short 3-play.

Nick Adams set up the drive when he alertly scooped up a dying onside kick by the Seahawks and took it inside the South Walton 20-yard line.

It looked as if the Seahawks would take a 20-7 lead into the intermission after 9-yard touchdown run by Joe Ledo-Massey with 5:03 left in the half. But with less than two minutes left in the second quarter South Walton coach Phil Tisa decided to throw the ball from the shadow of the Seahawk end zone.

Baker’s Austin Davis intercepted a Bates pass and returned it the Seahawk 21. The next play Beck hit Kalee Ciurleo for a touchdown as the Gators took the momentum into the fourth second half.

A scoreless third quarter gave way to a wild finish as the teams combined for 29 points in the final 8:44 of play.

Beck started the scoring with a 9-yard run. A 1-yard run by Montae Barto with 4:04 left in the game put Baker up by eight.

But the lead wasn’t safe as South Walton needed just two passes from Bates to Garofalo to cover 80 yards. Bates and Garofalo teamed up again on the 2-point conversion to tie the game with 3:27 showing on the clock.

The Bates to Garofalo connection was good on 10 completions for 246 yards and two touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough.

The teams traded possessions and Baker (5-2) got the ball with 46.8 seconds. Beck hit Kalee Ciurleo for what looked to be the game winning touchdown but there was a flag on the play. The illegal formation penalty against the Gators was waved off and the final touchdown stood as Baker won the shootout.

The Ciurleo brothers, who are twins, teamed up for 175 of Baker’s 331 yards in offense and three of the five Gator touchdowns.

Kalee Ciurleo had two catches for 87 yards and both went for touchdowns. Jalen Ciurleo had 68 yards rushing and one touchdown on 68 carries.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker outlasts South Walton in homecoming thriller (PHOTOS)

BAKER — Friday will be a busy night as Baker School hosts South Walton at Doug Griffith Memorial Stadium.

“The South Walton game will bring a little fanfare,” Baker Coach Matt Brunson said. “It’s the 100-year celebration of our school’s existence. It’s the 30-year reunion of the 1985 state championship football team.

“And of course, with all the other homecoming activities, I think it will be an awesome night. And bringing South Walton in for our homecoming game, it should be an exciting football game.”

The Gators (4-2) — coming off a 48-26 win over District 1-1A foe Jay — are playing their best football of the season, Brunson said. “I think our guys are peaking at the right time,” he said. “By beating Jay Friday night, we set ourselves in position to go over to Northview on Oct. 30 and play for a district championship, and that’s all you can ask for.

“I’ve stated many times that (Seahawk Coach) Phil Tisa is one of the brightest young minds in offensive football in this area. The offense they put on the field and the numbers they put up are unbelievable. We will have our hands full.”

South Walton (3-2) operates out of a spread offense and a base three-man front on defense.

Brunson enjoys the challenge of coaching the kind of game he expects Friday. “I love matching wits with those guys because they do a good job and I think it will be great for high school football,” he said. “They spread it out and you have to defend the whole field.

"Not only are the pretty good offensively, but they are as physical as I’ve seen them on defense.

"Our guys want to win on homecoming and beat South Walton because they beat us last year. I think it’s going to be a huge night.” 

UPCOMING

WHAT: High school football, South Walton at Baker

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday

WHERE: Baker School Doug Griffith Memorial Stadium

SOUTH WALTON AT BAKER INFORMATION

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Brunson: Baker eager to even score after South Walton loss

CRESTVIEW — When Crestview High School's football team travels to Milton on Friday to take on the Panthers, both teams will try to get back on track after homecoming losses.

Crestview lost to Choctawhatchee 21-6; Gulf Breeze shocked Milton 48-26.

But Bulldog Coach Tim Hatten said he doesn’t think the Panthers will show the Bulldogs anything they haven’t seen on either side of the football. “They have a power running game more than anything else,” he said. “They have a kid that goes vertical and catches the ball. We will need to be able to execute our offense, certainly a lot better than we did against Choctaw.

“We just didn’t do a lot of things right (on Friday). We are going to be a lot better prepared on offense and not hurt our defense.”

Milton (4-2) runs a base three-man front on defense. "They walk some people up and give you some different looks,” Hatten said. "They have decent speed. They move around quick to the ball. They are well coached. They are like every other team in our area."

The Bulldogs (3-3) should have a better chance Friday with starting quarterback Rusty Moorer's return. Moorer broke his hand during the season opener's first quarter against Northview.

“We need to get Rusty in the game,” Hatten said. “I don’t think (the game) really matters, as far as the playoff picture and our future, but it matters for our mojo, with Rusty getting in there and getting synced up and starting to get used to the flow.

“It’s kind of like the first ball game. It doesn’t mean a lot record-wise, but you want to get off on a good, even jump, so to speak. It’s really like the first game of the season for Rusty.”

Hatten said he hopes Moorer’s return provides the spark the Bulldogs need heading down the season's final stretch.

“A lot of people have counted us out, and rightfully so,” Hatten said. “But they don’t understand what it’s like to play without that guy (at quarterback) doing what we do.

“We are in total control of our own destiny. All we have to do is win, and it doesn’t matter what anybody else does. You just play.”

UPCOMING

WHAT: High school football, Crestview High School at Milton

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday

WHERE: Milton High School, 5445 Stewart St., Milton

UPCOMING HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Hatten: Crestview offense will be better prepared for Panthers

CRESTVIEW— Matt French is the quintessential high school athlete.

French, a senior on Crestview High School's football team, stands 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs 210 pounds. He has the size and speed to be a good high school player at tight end and linebacker.

While French could get the opportunity to play football at the next level, Bulldog Coach Tim Hatten raves about the versatile senior.

“He’s a good-sized, hardnosed high school football player,” Hatten said. “He can play fullback, tight end and he can play some defense. He’s just a good player that plays a lot of different positions.

“He just has knack for getting open (in a pass route). He gives us a big target in the middle of the field with good hands. He’s just an all around good kid.”

We now catch up with Matt French.

Q: How old were you when you started playing football?

A: I was in the fifth grade, so I was about 10.

Q: What's the best part of football?

A: Catching balls and making plays.

Q: What's the worst part of football?

A: Not being able to play and get the ball in my hands.

Q: What are your expectations this season?

A: For us to play hard, hopefully make the playoffs and do the best we can.

Q: If you had to pick a different sport to play, what would it be?

A: Baseball, because it’s my first love.

Q: What is your favorite football experience?

A: When I was in the 10th grade and we were the only team to beat Niceville.

Q: What are your hobbies outside football?

A: Playing baseball, working out and hanging out with my friends.

Q: What's your dream career?

A: I want to be a sports physician.                                                                      

Q: Do you want to play college football?

A: I do want to play college football. I’m just hoping for a place to walk on. I’d like to play baseball at the same time. I’d go to Duke (University) because of the academics and I played baseball there and had a great experience.

Q: What is your favorite movie?

A: “Jurassic Park.”

Q: Who is your favorite singer?

A: Rae Sremmurd.

Q: If you could be a cartoon character, who would you be?

A: Probably SpongeBob because he’s funny.

Q: If you could go back and live in any other period in history, which one would you choose?

A: Probably the 1920s, because I like the way they partied.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 13 things you didn't know about Crestview's Matt French

BAKER — Jay High School’s football team traveled to Baker on Friday for the renewal of the game known as The War on Highway 4.

A possible spot in the playoffs was on the line adding even more fuel on the always heated rivalry.

When the final horn sounded the Gators came out on top using a high octane offense to roll up 423 yards in total offense in a 48-26 win.

Senior quarterback Jon Beck sparked the Gator attack with 197 yards in total offense. Beck ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw for 91 yards and a touchdown.

Austin Davis was the recipient of Beck’s touchdown pass that covered 40 yards.

Beck was far from a one-man show as Baker upped its record to 4-2 on the year and took the all important District 1-1A win.

Jalen Ciurleo scored on a touchdown run of 46 yards and finished the night with 126 yard rushing on 12 carries. Jayson Moore made the most of his first varsity action as he gained 94 yards rushing and one touchdown on 11 carries.

Montae Barto only had three carries for 17 yards, but two of those carries produced Gator touchdowns.

South Walton is up next for the Gators on Friday.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker downs Jay for important district win

CRESTVIEW — A cool and wet Friday night greeted friends and alumni of Crestview High School as the Bulldogs hosted Choctawhatchee in a District 3-6A football game for Homecoming 2015.

Even the bad weather seemed unable to dampen the spirits of the home crowd at Jack Foster Stadium. But the Indians weren’t interested in playing the role of Homecoming game fodder.

Choctaw added a little rain of its own beating the Bulldogs 21-6.

Following the game Crestview Coach Tim Hatten, who doubles as the offensive coordinator, was quick to accept the blame for the Bulldog loss. He apologized to the team for not getting the offense ready to play and praised the defense for putting the team in a position to win.

“I thought defensively we played well enough to win the ball game,” Hatten said. “We throw a pick six (interception for a touchdown) on a play where we want to throw the ball vertical (downfield) to the outside, but the ball just came out of his (quarterback Corey Armstrong) hand wrong.

“We just made so many mistakes on offense execution wise and that falls on me. It was just a really poor coaching job by me offensively. I don’t know if I can remember a poorer performance by myself as an offensive coach.”

Crestview (3-3, 0-1) only had 166 yards in total offense.

Marquis McClain had 37 yards on nine carries. Andrew Adkins had six catches for 32 yards and a touchdown. Armstrong was 14-of-32 passing for 125 yards and one touchdown.

Armstrong also threw two interceptions. The first was returned by Choctaw’s Kaylin Lovitt for a touchdown in the third quarter. The second came as time was winding down and the Bulldogs were trying for a desperation score.

Choctaw (4-2, 1-0) scored the first points of the game on a 6-yard pass from Jake Fairly to Chris Pickett with 6:14 left in the second quarter. Jose Mendoza added the extra point and Choctaw led the rest of the way.

The Indians increased the lead to 14-0 on Lovitt’s interception with 8:45 left in the third quarter.

Crestview’s only score came with 4:13 left in the third when Armstrong hit Adkins with a 13-yard scoring strike.

The Indians closed out the scoring with 6:34 left in the game when Fairly hit Marquise Kane with a 9-yard touchdown pass.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Hatten blames self for Crestview loss

DESTIN — Baker School fullback Montae Barto and the Gators pounded the rock Friday night in a 35-10 win over Rocky Bayou Christian.

Barto led the Baker attack with 143 rushing yards on 21 carries. Barto also had two catches for 22 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Barto wasn’t the only Gator to have a big game on the ground. Jalen Ciurleo had 115 yards rushing on 11 carries and scored a touchdown. His twin brother, Kalee, also scored a touchdown.

Chris Roller ran for a 32 yards on six carries and scored a touchdown. Jamaal Day had three receptions for 72 yards.

Baker quarterback Jon Beck had 199 yards in total offense. Beck threw for 167 yards and ran for 32 yards.

The Gators return home Friday as they host Jay in their District 1-1A opener.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Barto leads Baker past Rocky Bayou Christian

CRESTVIEW — Crestview High School's football team heads into the 2015 season hoping to end a rough four-year stretch.

The Bulldogs haven’t made the playoffs since 2010. The streak is the longest for the team since the stretch from 1996 to 2001, when Crestview failed to advance to the post season.

Crestview opened fall practice last week with a sense of optimism and urgency. Coach Tim Hatten is in his third year leading the Bulldog program, and he’s optimistic that things will improve in 2015.

“It’s a swing year for us," he said. "We are excited about the fact that we’ve got kids in our program that have been in our system three years.

“The only thing better than three years is four years. We like where we are at right now. We have a long ways to go, but we like where we are at.”

Hatten said the first week of practice was spent fine tuning some of the basics.

“We want to make sure that we understand what we are doing,” he said, “and that we are able to execute, we are able to do some things at the line of scrimmage and that we recognize some things on defense and we are able to move to the ball.

"We have to control turnovers, make good decisions on offense and run to the football on defense.”

Junior quarterback Rusty Moorer took over the starting job midway through last season and he said his game experience will benefit him this year.

“Things look good with the athletes we have,” he said. “Now I know the game speed and what I have to do.”

When Moorer took over as the starting quarterback, Corey Armstrong moved to linebacker.

Armstrong is glad to have found a home on defense, but where he plays isn’t his biggest concern.

“Making the playoffs, that’s the priority number one,” he said. “The summer workouts were hard, trying to get better.

“We have a little more confidence this year. We believe in what we are doing.”

Capri Jones believes the Bulldogs can make the playoffs with the right amount of effort.

“We have to work together and work hard with each other,” he said.

The preseason is young, but Hatten sees the same hard work Jones sees.

“We are working hard,” he said. “We’ve got 135-140 kids in the program. That’s good numbers in all three of our teams.

“We like our athleticism and we certainly like our enthusiasm.”

Email News Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview football coach optimistic about 2015 season