Millbrook football
With Stradford Barnett (4) giving chase, Scott Gray (22) looks to cut upfield during Friday night's clash between Millbrook and Sanderson. The Wildcats prevailed 42-24.
Millbrook spoils SHS homecoming
Wildcats score 21 unanswered points to knock off Spartans
In a game of spectacular plays, the turning point of the Millbrook football team’s 42-24 win over Sanderson Friday was not a long touchdown pass or highlight-reel run.
Rather, it was a funny hop on a Millbrook punt in the fourth quarter that opened the floodgates for the Wildcats to score 21 unanswered points and spoil the Spartans' homecoming.
Trailing 24-21 and punting from their own 23 yard-line, the Wildcats recovered a live ball that glanced off a Sanderson player while rolling dead.
The unfortunate bounce gave Millbrook a new set of downs inside the Spartan 30 yard-line. And the play set off a snowball effect as the Wildcats captured momentum and snapped a three-game losing skid.
Millbrook cashed in four plays after the turnover for the go-ahead points, then capitalized with touchdowns on each of its next two possessions after back-to-back interceptions.
In just over four minutes, Sanderson went from having a three-point lead to facing an 18-point deficit.
“That (punt) was the turning point in the game. You could feel the whole game swing,” said first-year Sanderson coach Tony Lewis. “They took advantage of our mistakes.”
The Spartans trailed 21-14 at halftime but took their first lead of the game on Paul Houston’s 35-yard field goal early in the fourth.
“Everything was going well and then we just fell apart mentally,” Lewis said.
Millbrook’s ensuing possession after Houston’s field goal resulted in a three-and-out but the ball took a sideways bounce on the punt and caught a piece of a Sanderson player and the Wildcats were there to pounce on it for the momentum-swinging turnover.
Shortly thereafter, wide receiver Michael Thornton took over at quarterback for a nicked up Trey McFarland and scored on an 18-yard run for a 28-24 lead.
On Sanderson’s ensuing drive, Wildcat linebacker Richard Thomas picked off a Sam Bauckhman pass and returned it 45 yards to set up a Justus Hoffman one-yard touchdown run.
Another interception by Jarrick Feaster on the Spartans’ next set of downs set up a 59-yard scoring jaunt by Keith Marshall — his third trip to the end zone on the night — to finish the rally.
“We just did a great job of capitalizing on their mistakes,” Thomas said. “At halftime we talked about being up but not playing our game. It came down to who made fewer mistakes.”
Added Millbrook coach Clarence Inscore, “If you’re going to be a good football team you’ve got to cash in on mistakes."
Marshall scored from 11 and 25 yards out on Millbrook’s first two drives of the game and Scott Gray scored on an 80-yard pass from McFarland.
For Sanderson, Derrick Powell found the end zone from five yards and Matt James caught a 21-yard scoring pass from Bauckhman in the first half. Sanderson tied game at 21-21 with a one-yard sneak by Bauckhman in the third.
Marshall finished with 123 yards on the ground while James had 128 yards through the air on seven catches. Bauckham tossed for 223 yards in the loss.
For Thomas and the Wildcats, crashing the Sanderson homecoming party was particularly sweet after having their own homecoming soured last week in a 59-21 loss to Wakefield.
“It feels great, especially after last week,” Thomas said.
Sanderson (1-6) travels to Leesville Road (7-1) Friday, Oct. 16. After a week off, Millbrook (4-4) returns to action hosting the Pride Oct. 23.
Sanderson RB Derrick Powell (5) finds some running room during Friday's game against Millbrook.
