Millennium Explodes in Second Half to Defeat Cactus 42-14

Millennium broke open a tied game with 35 second-half points Friday night, pulling away from Cactus for a 42-14 varsity football victory at Millennium High School.

The Tigers and Cobras battled through a scoreless opening quarter. Millennium showed flashes early, including a 26-yard run by No. 6 and another long play that was erased by a penalty, but the Tigers also lost a fumble that Cactus recovered.

Millennium finally broke through early in the second quarter with a passing touchdown and a successful PAT from No. 38, giving the Tigers a 7-0 advantage.

Cactus answered late in the half. After moving into Millennium territory, the Cobras connected on a 21-yard touchdown pass and converted the extra point to send the game into halftime tied 7-7.

Before kickoff, Millennium defensive coordinator Devin Dourisseau said execution would be the key to controlling the matchup.

“If we come out and execute, I feel confident that we’ll be able to play our game,” Dourisseau said.

Dourisseau also emphasized playing fast on both sides of the ball, rallying all 11 defenders to the football and making things uncomfortable for Cactus’ quarterback.

That approach showed up immediately after halftime.

Millennium’s No. 19 King Johnson recovered a Cactus fumble at the Cobras’ 32-yard line early in the third quarter. The Tigers quickly turned the takeaway into points with an 11-yard rushing touchdown, followed by another successful PAT from No. 38 for a 14-7 lead.

Millennium kept pushing. A 33-yard rushing touchdown extended the advantage to 21-7, and No. 38 later connected on a 25-yard field goal to make it 24-7.

The Tigers added another major strike late in the quarter when No. 12 hauled in a 42-yard touchdown reception. The extra point was missed, but Millennium had stretched its lead to 30-7 after scoring 23 unanswered points in the third quarter.

The defense continued creating opportunities. Millennium recorded a sack and later came away with an interception before Cactus answered with an interception of its own late in the quarter.

In the fourth, No. 6 D’Mari Bryant broke a long run as Millennium continued to pressure the Cactus defense, although the Cobras later recovered a Tigers fumble.

Millennium’s defense quickly answered. No. 7 Angelo Ortiz intercepted a Cactus pass and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown, pushing the Tigers ahead 36-7. Millennium attempted a two-point conversion following the score, but the pass was unsuccessful.

Cactus put together its second scoring drive of the night later in the fourth quarter, finishing the possession with a 5-yard rushing touchdown and a successful PAT to cut the deficit to 36-14.

The response from Millennium came immediately.

No. 6 fielded the ensuing kick deep near the 10-yard line and took it the distance for a touchdown, giving the Tigers their final points of the night and restoring the 28-point advantage at 42-14.

Millennium’s defense closed the game by continuing to attack the football, including a late interception by No. 5.

After the game, Millennium head coach Lamar Early said the first half was not representative of how he wants his team to play, especially with the number of penalties and personal fouls.

“We started slow,” Early said. “But I was proud of my guys. They fought in that second half. It was 7-7, and they put up 35 points in the second half, and defense answered the call.”

Early called the victory a complete team win but stressed that the Tigers would immediately return to film study and work on cleaning up their mistakes.

“We’re going to enjoy this as a team, and then we’re going to get to work,” Early said.

Millennium finished the night with touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams while holding Cactus scoreless throughout the third quarter. After entering halftime tied, the Tigers completely changed the complexion of the game and walked away with a 42-14 home victory.