An unbeaten run through the 2012 high school football season came to an end last night for the Milan Wildcats, who were beaten 20-9 in the Class 1, District 6 championship game at Cal Hubbard Field against the visiting Salisbury Panthers, in a game broadcast on KTTN FM 92.3 and www.kttn.com. The win sends Salisbury into Saturday afternoon's state quarterfinals with a season record of 11-1, while Milan finishes the season at 10-1.

After a scoreless first quarter, Salisbury's defense struck early in the second, with a linebacker blitz forcing a fumble that was recovered at the one yard line. Two plays later, Austin Francis scored on a one yard sneak, with the extra point making the score 7-0 Panthers.

Milan answered the score quickly, with a long run by Brett Sinclair setting up the Wildcats first-and-goal from the ten yard line. Three plays later, Aaron Richardson plunged over the goal line from a yard out, making the score 7-7.

Salisbury took the lead back on the following kickoff, with Austin Wyatt going 85 yards down the west sideline at the Pit. The extra point attempt failed, leaving the Panthers up 13-7, a lead that ballooned to 20-7 by the half, on a 40 yard Francis run and extra point with 3:21 remaining in the half.

While Milan's defense bent in the second half, the Wildcats would not break, holding Salisbury off the scoreboard through the entire last two quarters. While Milan's offense struggled to move the football on the ground, the special teams unit added a safety with 3:59 to go on a blocked punt that went through the end zone. The Wildcats got no closer on the scoreboard.

Perhaps the biggest negative statistic from the game that went against Milan was turnovers. The Wildcats suffered four fumbles lost and two interceptions through the game, while the Panthers turned over the ball once (on a botched punt with seven seconds left in the first half), and happily leaned on field position and a strong defense to position themselves for the victory.

Other Class One finals from Monday night were:
Valle Catholic 47, Portageville 10
Miller 39, Lockwood 6
Skyline 41, Midway 14
Tipton 67, Sacred Heart 6
Hamilton 42, Polo 14
Wellington-Napoleon 54, West Platte 22
South Shelby 38, Westran 36


Class 2 district final results were:
Caruthersville 49, Charleston 22
Maplewood-Richmond Heights 54, Brentwood 14
Mountain View Liberty 21, Mountain Grove 7
Lamar 62, Butler 0
Lathrop 41, Bishop LeBlond 14
Holden 36, Higginsville 26
Blair Oaks 49, South Callaway 21
Clark County 22, Palmyra 14

Class 3 District Finals were:
Parks Hills Central 28, Ste. Genevieve 7
John Burroughs 50, Soldan Int'l Studies 6
Eldon 42, Osage 7
Monett 10, Cassville 6
Maryville 48, St. Pius X 7
KC Center 21, Oak Grove 6
California 28, Centralia 21
Duchesne 18, McCluer South 14

Class 4 district finals were:
Hillsboro 28, Cape Girardeau Central 20
St. Marys 41, Miller Career Academy 6
Sullivan 32, St. Clair 17
Webb City 55, Hillcrest 10
Platte County 27, Smithville 21
Harrisonville 13, Bolivar 6
Helias Catholic 14, Hannibal 10
Clayton 27, University City 20

State quarterfinals are Saturday, with semifinals on Saturday, November 17th for Classes 1, 2, 3, and 4.