Round 2 | Forreston vs Milledgeville
Milledgeville -
This 2nd round game was the first time that Milledgeville and Forreston have met in the playoffs. With it, Milledgeville was in the midst of their best season since 2008, while Forreston had taken a slip coming off of back to back semifinal appearances, and 2 state titles over the past 3 seasons.
The first quarter would be like a boxing match, where both teams were trying to feel each other out. At the start of the 2nd quarter, the scoring would start, as Forreston got on the board first to take a 6-0 lead with 11:23 left in the half.
Milledgeville would respond 7 minutes later to tie the game at 6, but just 19 seconds later Garett Badertscher busted off a 62 yard run for the score. The 2 point try was good this time, as Forreston took the lead again 14-6 with 4:05 to go in the 1st half. The Missiles would respond once again with 2:47 left to go in the 1st half, and their 2 point try was good to tie the game at 14 going into the half.
The 2nd half would prove to be just a battle of attrition, as neither team scored, but both had many opportunities. Milledgeville had the best chance, as twice they were inside the Forreston 10, and both times were turned away by the Cardinal defense.
In overtime, the Cards wasted no time, as Badertscher ran in from 9 yards out on 2nd down, then put the 2 point try on the board to take the lead 22-14. Milledgeville would respond with a Jack Munz pass to Nate Rahn for a 9 yard gain, and then on 3rd down Rahn punched it in. On the ensuing 2 point try, the Cards sniffed out the pass in the flats play call to Rahn, Rahn lateralled back to Munz, who then fumbled, regained the ball, but the Cards were right there to bring him down to preserve the 22-20 thriller.
Forreston will move on to play Dakota in the quarterfinals, where the last time they met up in the quarters Dakota won 16-9 on their way to the state title in 2011. The last time these two teams met in the playoffs came in 2015, where Forreston reversed a 34-0 defeat in the regular season to an 8-0 win in the opening round of the playoffs. This game will take place in Forreston next Saturday with a time to be determined.