Millbrook football asserts its dominance, roughs up rival Sanderson to remain unbeaten

Millbrook offered a beautiful offensive display in one of the Triangle’s most beautiful, arboresque football settings — Sanderson’s Gregson Stadium — in Friday’s 58-10 win over the host Spartans.

The nearby-rival Wildcats’ 34-point third quarter showcased a potent, balanced offense that lifted Millbrook to a 5-0 start for the second consecutive season.

The Wildcats, who led 24-10 at halftime, received the second half’s opening kickoff, after which quarterback Mason Fortune went to work. The junior signal caller completed passes to three different receivers — Ty Broughton, Hayden McShea, and Nathan Leacock — on that first drive before an initial handoff to running back Xavier Pugh. A 42-yard run off right tackle capped a two-minutes drill with Pugh in the end zone.

Millbrook’s defense forced Sanderson (3-2) into consecutive three-and-out series with lost yardage on the Spartans’ first two second half possessions. Pugh’s punt return set the start of the Wildcats’ second third quarter drive at the Spartans’ 46. Broughton corralled a Fortune pass on a simple left slant pattern, after which he covered the better part of 51 yards for another touchdown.

Fortune connected with Leacock — a Tennessee commit — for Millbrook’s next three scores. Wildcats kicker Angel Gomez-Corona booted extra points on each of the third period’s last four touchdowns.

The outcome marked one of the series’ most lopsided outcomes on Sanderson’s Dixon Drive campus since Millbrook’s 51-0 win that spoiled the Spartans’ 2000 homecoming.

Sanderson’s 10 points marked a season low after the Spartans scored 35 or more points in each of the team’s first four outings.

This story was originally published September 17, 2022 at 8:09 AM.