To say Gallatin shell-shocked the visiting Milan Wildcats on Friday night is an understatement. Gallatin had 14 points on the board less than 30 seconds into the game, laying the ground work for a 40-6 rout of the visiting Wildcats on Homecoming night.
Peyton Baker found Payton Feiden for a 50-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage and Feiden scooped and scored on a Milan fumble to give Gallatin the 14-0 edge with 11:37 still showing on the game clock in the first quarter.
“I’m always telling our team that we have to start fast and not look back,” Gallatin head coach Patrick Treece said. “We did just that tonight. We proceeded to connect in the passing game getting a lot of players involved.”
Milan’s secondary had a long night as Baker strategically picked the unit apart. He added a 65-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Bird late in the first quarter then found Feiden for two more touchdowns in the second quarter.
When it was all said and done, Baker had completed 13-of-15 passes for 342 yards and the four scores. Feiden caught six passes, three of them for touchdowns, accumulating 171 receiving yards. Draven Wright caught four passes for 72 yards and Bird had two catches for 72 yards as well and a touchdown.
Gallatin’s final score of the game came on the legs of Baker, who ran in a touchdown to start the fourth quarter. Baker was the Bulldogs’ leading rusher, carrying the ball five times for 102 yards.
All the while the Gallatin offense was cooking, the Bulldogs defense was hammering away on Milan and running back Deric Doporto. Milan was able to get yards from Doporto and his younger brother Darren Doporto, but Gallatin allowed Milan into the end zone just once all night.
“Our defensive effort was just as important as our offensive output,” Treece said. “We tackled and rallied to the football better than we have all year. We were able to keep Milan’s Doporto brothers from taking over the game on the ground. The message to our defense is always ‘bend don’t break’ and that’s exactly what we did. Running backs like those two are going to get their yards, you just have to keep them out of the endzone.”
Ethan Adkison picked up a sack on the defensive side in the win and Bird grabbed an interception to give Gallatin two take aways on the night along with Feiden’s scoop and score of a Wildcat fumble.
Gallatin couldn’t have drawn up a better Homecoming result.
“With it being Homecoming, you never know what type of team will take the field,” Treece said. “You always wonder where the focus of the team is with all the distractions associated with the Homecoming celebration. This team never wavered and in fact, played with a higher level of focus and determination than we have seen all year.
“We had some great individual efforts on both sides of the football but this game was a complete team win. We got a lot better as a football team tonight and I am beyond proud of everyone involved.”
The win pushed Gallatin to 4-2 overall on the season. The win combined with Trenton’s loss to Polo pushed the Red and Black Bulldogs into a four-way tie atop the Grand River Conference. Gallatin, Trenton, Polo and South Harrison are all 3-1 in league play.
Gallatin will be on the road this week, traveling to Unionville to take on Putnam County. Action is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on Friday.