Northeast 7-on-7: New blood at Milton working out

PEABODY — When it comes to Milton this football season, a lot of the discussion concerns what the Wildcats lost.

The quarterback from last year? Gone. Skill players? Also, gone. Basically everyone from one of the state’s best teams? Out, and on to new adventures.

But hold on for a minute. On Saturday at Bishop Fenwick, it might be high time to start respecting the Wildcats that are coming back.

In the Northeast 7v7 East regional, Milton beat a game Peabody squad in the Open final to make it to New Englands, an event which the Wildcats won last summer.

In the Small title, St. Mary’s beat Salem on a last-second bomb.

Quarterback Patrick Miller played well for Milton, and watched as his defense picked off three passes in the win over Peabody.

“We’re all hard-working kids,” Miller said. “We’re a big family. We’re coming out here, we’re working hard. We’re going to take what the defense gives us, and just keep working hard.”

Milton coach Steve Dembowski runs the Northeast 7v7, and his teams are always competitive in it. But with the way Dembowski runs his offense, it always is a good sign when they compete at the level the Wildcats did Saturday.

“We have great kids who really like playing football and being together,” Dembowski said. “Seven-on-seven isn’t really football other than the ball. But they play year-round. They enjoy it. They enjoy each other, and they compete. I think that’s the key to most programs’ success.”

Other players who stood out for Milton were wide receiver Ronan Sammon, wide receiver Will Renz, wide receiver/defensive back Ferris Collins, and slot receiver/ safety Luke Haley.

As runners-up in the Open, Peabody had a terrific day. Wide receiver Eli Batista made plays all day, and is one of the top returning receivers in the state. He is being recruited by the likes of URI, Bryant, Bentley, and Brown.

A week ago at the North regional, St. Mary’s saw some success, but did not win the regional. The Spartans took care of that this week, with a last-second Hail Mary to beat a hot Salem team that was very strong.

On the last play against Salem, Yaniel Belliard fired a pass to the right pylon that found the arms of Tyler Guy. Other receivers that had a good day for St. Mary’s were Nick Marks, Sam Phelps, and Alef Potter.

“We lost a lot of guys, and I think it shows the character in some of the young guys we have that keep competing,” St. Mary’s coach Sean Driscoll said. “It’s special to win with these guys because they’re starting to know each other. At a private school, people come from all over. We’re starting to build something here, and I like our momentum so far.”