Region 5 and Region 6 will clash in some of the best first-round matchups we’ll see in Class 5A, and the Milton vs. East Paulding game might be the best of the bunch. With both teams at 8-2, the No. 3 seed East Paulding Raiders spent several weeks ranked, while the Milton Eagles are a bit of a surprise at the No. 2 seed.
East Paulding, led by wide receiver Ed Cazaneves and running back Jahron Brown, stumbled twice in its last four regular season games, losing to Harrison and Woodstock. Milton, on the other hand, is currently enjoying a four-game win streak.
Milton is headlined by one of the most dynamic offensive players in the state this season, running back Toney Williams. Averaging over 200 yards a game, the big senior has committed to the University of Tennessee. Milton’s two losses—an early-season misstep against Campbell and a tough road loss to region No. 1 Walton—have been by a combined nine points.
If season stats are any indication, it should be a good battle between a prolific offense and a stingy defense – Milton averages just under 30 points a game, while East Paulding is only giving up 14.
The Raiders have had recent postseason success; just not in Class 5A. The Raiders were a force the past two years in 4A, reaching the semifinals in 2006 and winning 12 games each of those years. Before that, East Paulding had suffered eight seasons of one win or less since the inception of the football program in 1991. Head coach John Reid was well known in Tennessee as the leader of the Alcoa program, winning consecutive titles at the Class 2A school in 2004-05, and in three years has quickly transformed the state of football at the Dallas school. Milton, coached by Scott Walker (who has also engineered a drastic turnaround in just three years at his current position) hasn’t hosted a playoff game of any kind since 1993.
Ewalt can be reached at aewalt@scoreatl.com.
Loading ...
