MILTON -- The Milton High football team's near decade-long quest for a state championship under coach Steve Dembowski ended last December when the Wildcats dug out of an early 14-point hole to beat Walpole, 42-21, in the Division 3 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium.
Now a program that has been consistently excellent since Dembowski grabbed the reins in 2015 finally gets to experience life as a defending champ.
Just don't ask Dembowski about it.
"I'm over it now," he said with a laugh.
Dembowski has a lot on his plate this summer thanks to extensive graduation losses that claimed, among others, star quarterback Patrick Miller (program-record 33 touchdown passes last season), the team's top three running backs and the entire starting offensive line.
The road to a repeat won't be easy, starting with a stiff Week 1 test at Needham, whom Dembowski predicts will be a top 10 team in the state this season. There's also an Oct. 18 rematch with Walpole.
Still, the Wildcats can draw on their recent history of success. Milton finished 11-1 in 2022, losing the Div. 3 Super Bowl to Wakefield , and then went 9-4 last fall en route to claiming the first title in program history.
"Last year after losing the state championship in our first time there, you come into (preseason) and think, wow, we made it so far. It's going to be tough to come back from a (Super Bowl) loss like that," said senior defensive back/receiver Harrison Hinckle. "Obviously, it feels different (now). It feels nice to be champions. We have a lot riding on this season. ... We have to prove that we should be (considered contenders again)."
Milton has had a succession of high-end QB talent during Dembowski's time here -- Mike Fallon, Owen Kearney, Luke McMenamin, Chase Vaughan (program-record 45 career TD passes), Owen McHugh (31 TD passes in 2022) and Miller. Now it's junior Patrick Collins' time to shine. The 5-9, 168-pounder should give the Wildcats more of a running threat at the position.
"It's an honor, definitely," Collins said of picking up the baton. "Last year Pat (Miller) was a big inspiration. I looked up to him. He led the team to a Super Bowl. Before him, Owen McHugh was huge. He also led the team to a Super Bowl that they ended up not winning. Those are my two role models. I'm hoping to do something like that."
The no-huddle
Junior receiver Ronan Sammon will be the focal point on offense after a breakout 2023 campaign (72 catches, 1,058 yards, 14 TDs). Hinckle and senior Terren Bly (a returning starter at cornerback) are among those looking to fill out the rest of the receiver depth chart. Nathan Ehui ran for a team-high 935 yards last season and had a big Super Bowl (29 carries, 135 yards). He's graduated, along with backups Luke Hartford and A.J. Cicerone. Seniors Colin Donovan, Aedan Cooper and Isaiah Flemming are battling for the job. Dembowski isn't tipping his hand about the O-line makeup just yet, saying only that 10 players are in the mix.
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Defensive keys include lineman Abran Rojas, linebackers Aidan Reilly and Ben Parmele, and defensive backs Hinckle and Bly. Junior kicker Aidan Rowley is back; he hit 6 of 9 field goal attempts last season (with a long of 37 yards) and was 43 of 48 on PATs, including 6-of-6 in the Super Bowl.
2023 recap
The Wildcats took a three-game losing streak into the playoffs but regrouped, as a No. 3 seed, to beat No. 14 Minnechaug (30-14), No. 6 Dartmouth (28-7), No. 10 Westfield (37-14) and No. 4 Walpole (42-21) en route to the program's first-ever crown. Dembowski is now 76-21 overall at Milton, including 18-7 in the playoffs.
Three names to know
Junior QB Patrick Collins: Patrick Miller's backup a season ago, he saw some mop-up action on varsity, throwing just one pass, and also played JV. At 5-9 he's not the biggest kid, but he's a tough runner who can threaten defenses in multiple ways.
Junior WR Ronan Sammon: Burst onto the scene as a 5-11 sophomore last fall, capping a brilliant season with 6 catches for 75 yards and a pair of TDs in the Super Bowl.
Senior DL Abran Rojas: A starter over the last half of the 2023 season, he could see action on the offensive line as well. Coach Steve Dembowski calls him "one of the pieces on defense that we're looking to build around."
They said it
Coach Steve Dembowski on new QB Patrick Collins: "Patrick's a little different because he didn't grow up as a quarterback; we made him one when he was a freshman. He's an excellent athlete, an excellent leader."
Senior DB/WR Harrison Hinckle on star WR Ronan Sammon: "He's going to have a huge target on his back; teams will game-plan around him just based off his season last year. There are going to be other parts around him (on offense) but he's still going to do his thing."
Junior QB Patrick Collins on the approach as a defending champ: "Same attitude we had last year. We're missing a lot of guys from last year, but we're hoping to do the same thing with the guys we have."
Milton High 2024 football schedule
Friday, Sept. 6 -- at Needham, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 13 -- vs. Central (Rhode Island), 7
Friday, Sept. 20 -- at Framingham, 6
Friday, Sept. 27 -- vs. Holliston, 7
Friday, Oct. 4 -- at Weymouth, 7
Thursday, Oct. 10 -- vs. Wachusett Regional, 6
Friday, Oct. 18 -- vs. Walpole, 7
OFF WEEK
Saturday, Nov. 2 -- at Natick, 2:30
Thursday, Nov. 28 -- vs. Braintree, 10 a.m.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: 'It feels nice to be champions:' Rebuilt Milton football chases 2nd straight state crown
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