ALHPARETTA, GA, Aug. 29 — The No. 23 Milton [GA] Eagles overcame a slow start to defeat the Alpharetta [GA] Raiders, 31-6, Friday night.
The Eagles haven't yet looked like the team that went 15-0 a year ago while capturing Georgia's GHSA Class 5A state title. They lost the season opener, 20-13, at the No. 12 Buford [GA] Wolves two weeks ago, and then fought past The First Academy [Orlando, FL] Royals a week ago for a messy 24-17 win. On Friday night, they only led 7-0 after the first quarter against an Alpharetta squad that was defeated 37-0 in the season opener against the Kell [Marietta] Longhorns the previous week.
While the Eagles didn't look great doing it, they did eventually stretch their lead to 17-0 by halftime. Bentley Hickman carried the ball for 10 times on the night for 69 yards and a touchdown to give the offense a kick, and freshman quarterback Trey Hasan went 8-of-15 for 84 yards and another touchdown.
But it was the Eagles' defense that led the way holding the Raiders to just 58 yards rushing on 24 carries and keeping them off the scoreboard until late in the game. The Eagles have yet to give up more than 20 points in a game, and if they make a run similar to last year, it seems clear that the defense will play a big role in their success.
Alpharetta (0-2) will host the Cedar Grove [Ellenwood, GA] Saints (1-1) next week still seeking their first win of 2025. Milton (2-1) will take a week off before hosting the Blessed Trinity [Roswell, GA] Titans (3-0) on September 12.
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|| FOURTH QUARTER ||
Alpharetta scores its first points of the 2025 season. It took eight quarters, but they're finally on the board late at home against the Milton Eagles
4th Qtr — MILTON 31, ALPHARETTA 6
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|| THIRD QUARTER ||
Milton adds another touchdown with 2:31 to play in the third quarter
3rd Qtr — MILTON 31, ALPHARETTA 0
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We're under way in the third quarter, and the Milton Eagles have extended their lead.
3rd Qtr — MILTON 24, ALPHARETTA 0
|| SECOND QUARTER ||
Milton adds a field goal right before the half.
Halftime — MILTON 17, ALPHARETTA 0
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With 4:54 remaining in the first half, Milton finally gets to the end zone again.
2nd Qtr — MILTON 14, ALPHARETTA 0
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We're approaching the midway point of the second quarter, and it's still 7-0 Milton. They haven't played a great game, yet, this year, and they're struggling again tonight to find points. And this is against an Alpharetta squad that was 1-9 a year ago and lost at Kell last week, 37-0.
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|| FIRST QUARTER ||
The first quarter ends with Milton leading Alpharetta.
1st Qtr — MILTON 7, ALPHARETTA 0
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Milton has taken the early lead at Alpharetta.
1st Qtr — MILTON 7, ALPHARETTA 0
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TOP 25 AND THE GAME OF THE WEEK ...
While you're getting ready for tonight's big game, get yourself up to speed on the preseason edition of The Sporting News High School Football Top 25.
Then check out Last week's Top 25 Roundup to see how the rest of our Top 25 fared in National Week 2.
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OUR PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAMS ...
Finally, don't miss out on The Sporting News Preseason All-American Teams that just debuted today!
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We'll check back in here in a while with a look at some more storylines and an update on the weather.
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