Patriots take down Dogies

Rebecca Maupin | Oct 05, 2023

Rebecca Maupin count

Chase Mills makes a catch.

The Upton-Sundance Patriots took another Homecoming victory on Friday night in Upton. It was an unforgettable performance by the Patriots as quarterback Keaton Mills completed multiple miracle passes to keep the Patriots alive in the 28-17 victory over the Newcastle Dogies.

Newcastle was first on the scoreboard, blocking a Patriot punt and quickly pushing towards the goal line in the opening minutes of play. The Patriot defense, however, did not let the Dogies into the endzone and the team had to settle for a field goal, taking an early 3-0 lead.

Despite the deficit, the Patriots were not going to let the Homecoming game slip away that easily. Quarterback Keaton Mills dropped back and found Chase Mills, wide open, down the seam, for a 76-yard touchdown run, allowing the Patriots to take the 6-3 lead.

The Patriot defense was on the field next, quickly putting an impressive stop to the Dogie offense, forcing them to punt the ball away and giving the Patriot offense one more chance to score before the quarter came to a close.

"When our defense is firing on all cylinders I think that the offense just naturally follows," quarterback Keaton Mills stated.

Starting at the 39-yard line, the Patriot offense built on the momentum, pushing down the field. With 3.9 seconds left on the clock, the Patriots called a timeout to discuss the fourth down options. Going for it on fourth down, Mills connected once again to cousin Chase with a 14-yard touchdown pass.

Hoping to extend their lead, the Patriots successfully completed a two-point conversion, and took a 14-3 lead at the end of the first quarter of play.

Not to be outdone, the Dogies refined their game plan throughout the second quarter. Double wing, split pistol, and multi formations kept the Patriot defense on their toes as the Newcastle offense answered with a series of impressive completions of their own, scoring two more times and taking the 17-14 lead into the halftime break.

Committed to achieving another Homecoming victory, the Patriots emerged in the second half with an incredible sense of determination as the offense took to the field for the opening drive. Making a push down the field, an illegal formation forced the team to a first and 15.

After a series of incomplete passes, the Patriots decided to bring some trickery onto the field as running back Eli Gill found an open receiver on the half back pass and sent him to the nine-yard line, setting the Patriots up for a first and goal. Close to the end zone, quarterback Keaton Mills was forced to scramble once more, but was able to get his pass off, allowing the Patriots to take the lead from the Dogies, 21-17 with 5:10 left in the third quarter.

There was no rest for the weary as the Patriot defense once again forced the Dogies to punt the ball away, sending the Patriot offense back onto the field to close out the third quarter. Getting right to work, the Patriot offense pushed their way down the field, gaining a fresh set of downs.

With the clock ticking down, Mills found himself in a tight spot once again. Facing a fierce pass rush, he launched the ball downfield to connect, yet again, with Chase Mills who was able to snatch the ball out of the air and land in-bounds, setting the Patriot offense up for the final score of the game.

"It truly is a blast getting to play with my cousin and I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. He had a bunch of great catches that extended drives and put us in scoring position. All the credit goes to him for playing lights out," Mills commented.

Shortly thereafter, Eli Gill made his way into the endzone on a nine-yard run and secured the 28-17 Homecoming victory over the Newcastle Dogies.

With this win, the US Patriots move to a 3-2 overall record and 2-2 in the conference. On Friday, the team will travel to Wheatland to face the Bulldogs.

"They've gone toe to toe with some of the best in our conference and I think that it will be a very tough game," Mills stated, "But we're up for the challenge."

Stats

Offensive Rushing:

J. Keller 3/11

K. Mills 17/20

E. Gill 8/44

Offensive Passing:

K. Mills 15/32/263 3TD

Offensive Receiving:

J. Schommer 1/3

J. Keller 2/7

C. Mills 7/213 2TD

E. Gill 3/11