Jayvees Beat Bridgton in the Rain, 21-7

Sunday, October 27

Hanover, N.H.

1:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Bridgton Academy

Photo by: Doug Austin

10/27/2019 9:18:00 PM | Football, JV Football

Nick Howard ran 21 times for 141 yards and two touchdowns

By: Bruce Wood, Big Green Alert

HANOVER, N.H. — With no scouting report, no practices as an official team, no true running back and miserable weather, it took the Dartmouth junior varsity a little time to figure things out in Sunday's junior varsity game against Bridgton Academy.

But once the Big Green realized it could hand the ball to 6-foot-2, 220-pound quarterback Nick Howard up the middle, and Bridgton would have a hard time stopping him, everything changed.

Howard carried 21 times for 141 yards and two touchdowns, caught two passes for 23 yards and, for good measure, completed a 45-yard throw to help Dartmouth to a 21-7 win over Bridgton, billed frequently as the only one-year prep school in the country.

After being held without a first down in the first quarter, the Big Green took possession with 4:42 left in the second quarter and drove 93 yards in eight plays, the last seven on the ground to take a 7-0 lead with 1:08 on the clock. Howard had runs of 2, 13, 12 and 11 yards before quarterback Zack Milko took a snap at his own 45 and ran up the middle 50 yards to the 5-yard line. Milko then gained three on a first-down run before Howard crashed in from the two for a 7-0 lead with Cameron Baller's PAT.

The visitors knotted the score with a 29-yard interception return for a touchdown on a third-and-12 pass on the first series of the second half.

On a day when kickoffs, placements and punts were not live, a Bridgton punt of just 19 yards set Dartmouth up for its second touchdown midway through the third quarter. Taking over at the Wolverines' 45, the Big Green got a fourth-and-one run of four yards from quarterback Gavin Muir to avoid going three-and-out. Three plays later, it was Dylan Cadwallader hitting Howard for a 9-yard gain to the 15 on fourth-and-two to keep the drive alive. Howard eventually got the touchdown on a 5-yard run to make it 14-7 with 3:07 remaining in the third quarter.

A fumbled pitch early in the fourth quarter gave Bridgton the ball at the Dartmouth 32, but on a wet day when the ball was slippery, the Big Green's Charlie Looes recovered a fumble on a second-down play to give the ball back to the home team at its 16 with 8:12 remaining.

After Howard ran for 14 and 7 yards on back-to-back carries, he took matters into his own hands — or arm — and hit R.J. Brandon for a 45-yard gain thanks to a couple of spinning moves by the sophomore receiver. Milko then ran over two Bridgton players on a 15-yard run to the three before carrying right for the score. With Ryan Bloch's PAT, the day's scoring was finished.

Joining Howard with a big day running the ball was Milko, who carried 10 times for 89 yards (with just four true running backs on the varsity, none were available for the jayvee game).

Brandon, who also played corner, caught three passes for 71 yards to lead a receiving corps that had just seven catches. Seamus O'Connell added a 23-yard grab.

Defensively, linebacker Patrick Wright led the way with eight tackles and a hit that jarred the ball loose from a would-be receiver. Joe Heffernan had five tackles and a pass breakup while Jack Sheridan added five more stops. Shane Cokes was a force inside with four tackles and a fumble recovery, and Jaylin Rainey had three stops and a forced fumble. Brandon added two tackles to his three catches.