Pace HS Defeats Milton HS 42-35 in the Battle for the Bronze Helmet Rivalry Game

MILTON, FLA- In what was a high-scoring and tight affair throughout, Pace High School (6-3, 2-2 4S District One) prevailed over Milton High School (2-7, 1-3 4S District One) 42-35 in the Annual Battle for the Bronze Helmet. With the win, the Patriots remain in third place in the 4S District One Conference, trailing Navarre High School (8-1, 4-0 4S District One) and Gulf Breeze High School (5-4, 3-1 4S District One). Meanwhile, Milton stays remains in fourth place in the 4S District One Conference, ahead of Tate High School (1-8, 0-4 4S District One).

Following his zero touchdown and one interception game against Navarre one week ago, Simmons enjoyed one of his best games of the season as a runner, recording 20 rushing attempts for 135 rushing yards and a season-high four rushing touchdowns. Entering Pace’s week ten game against Hollis Christain Academy (2-5, 0-0 Freelance), Simmons now has 171 rushes for 818 rushing yards, 19 rushing touchdowns, and 5.6 YPC, all of which rank inside the top three of the 4S District One Conference.

As a result of Simmon’s rushing success, Pace continued to rely heavily on the running game. In addition to Simmons, Sophomore Running Back Ben Tyner (9/47/0), Junior Running Back Brayden Gates (2/39/1) and Junior Receiver Xakery Wiedner (6/146/0) all contributed to Pace’s lethal rushing attack. As a team, Pace notched 37 carries for 367 rushing yards, five touchdowns, and 9.9 YPC, all season-highs. Due to this, Head Coach Kent Smith only had Simmons through one pass, although it was a beautiful 24-yard touchdown strike to Wiedner at the end of the first quarter to give Pace a 14-0 lead over Milton.

For unknown reasons, Milton’s Star Senior Quarterback Emory Williams was unable to play against Pace. For context, Williams has enjoyed a stellar 2022-2023 season, completing 135-225 pass attempts for 1,690 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and four interceptions along with 207 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Although Milton did have Junior Backup Quarterbacks Harrison Stewart and Brayden Faust ready to play, Head Coach Kenny Gillis gave the starting nod to Senior Receiver Raymond Cottrell. Given the circumstances, Cottrell played quite well against Pace, completing 7-15 pass attempts for 74 passing yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

With Cottrell making his first high-school start at Quarterback, Milton relied heavily on the Running Back duo of Senior Tyree Haynes (24/119/1) and Senior Jwilliam Grimsley (7/47/0). Likewise, Cottrell took many read-options and Quarterback runs, recording a team-high 23 carries for 218 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including an electric 51-yard TD scamper with eleven minutes left in the second quarter. When Cottrell was looking to pass, he typically went to Haynes (3/38/1), Senior Receiver Randy Lackey (2/10/1), and Senior Tight End Nathan Wright (1/12/0). As a team, Milton rushed for a season-high 371 rushing yards in the loss, beating their previous record of 221 rushing yards against Booker T Washington HS on September 9th.

After Milton punched in a one-yard TD run by Haynes with two minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Panthers recovered the onside kick, giving them one last chance to tie or take the lead. Just three plays later, miscommunication between Cottrell and Haynes on a handoff resulted in a fumble, recovered by Senior Defensive Lineman Brandon Beckham. For context, Beckham was the 2022-2023 Homecoming King Runner up behind Teammate Jayson Alford. In addition to the game-winning fumble recovery, Beckham also notched his second sack of the season midway through the first quarter. From there, Pace drained the final two minutes off the clock in victory formation, and claimed the Bronze Helmet for the first time since the 2018-2019 high school football season.

Despite failing to contain Milton’s excellent rushing attack, Pace’s Defense made major plays throughout the game. For reference, Six Patriot Defenders notched seven or more total tackles in the win, highlighted by Sophomore Defensive Lineman Tylon Lee’s 17 total tackles and two TFLs, both team-highs. Similar to Lee, Junior Linebacker Brayden Gates (1.0 TFL), and Senior Defensive Lineman Brandon Comes (1.0 TFL), and Beckham (2.0 TFLs) all notched TFLs. In addition to the season-high two TFLs, Beckham also had eleven total tackles, one sack, and notched the game-winning fumble recovery.

After converting on all three of his extra-point attempts and missing his lone 49-yard field-goal attempt against Navarre, Senior Kicker Riece Griffith rebounded nicely versus Milton, converting on all six of his extra-point attempts. In reference to this, Griffith is now 41-42 on extra-point attempts and 4-5 on field-goal attempts this season, solidifying himself as the top kicker in the 4S District One Conference. Meanwhile, Milton’s Senior Kicker Grant Mills converted on all five of his extra-point attempts, bringing his season mark to 27-28 on PATS and 1-3 on field-goal attempts. It’s worth noting that Sophomore Joseph Skipworth (2/26/0), Tyner (1/15/0), and Gates (1/37/0) managed the Kick Return duties well, setting up Pace with excellent field position after Mills had many short and high kickoffs.