Milton vs. Nobles Day
By SOPHIA LI ‘19
Rivalry week at Milton Academy is a longstanding tradition that all Milton and Nobles students enjoy taking part of—I mean, who wouldn’t love dressing up as memes and watching our and Noble’s Head of School battle each other in a video game while wearing mascot heads. However, the festivities of Rivalry Week are not the star of the show. The showdown between Milton and Nobles’ sports teams holds the spotlight.
Last Saturday, Milton sports teams geared up and made their way down to Nobles. Everyone was excited, no matter the outcome. Rivalry Weekend is always filled with team spirit, excitement, and delicious soup, provided by Flik Platinum this year.
Girls’ Varsity Volleyball started off the day’s varsity games. The Milton Girls’ Volleyball team faced a formidable opponent. Nobles was at the top of the league, beating Lawrence Academy 3-1 to take the number one spot in the ISL. This rivalry game would be a tough one for the Milton Mustangs. The Milton girls played quality volleyball. However, with a very strong outside hitter and a skillful setter, Nobles had the upper hand. Nobles took all three sets, beating Milton 3-0. But the Mustangs did not go down without a fight. Maddie Cesaretti ‘21 served ace after ace and Amira Brown ‘19 blocked powerful hits from the Nobles’ outside hitter. Although Milton did not win, they played some of their best volleyball of the year and made Nobles work for each and every point.
While Volleyball battled, Girls’ Soccer and Field Hockey got ready to play their last games of the season. The Wolfpack fought hard against a solid Nobles soccer team. With a strong back four and fierce forwards, Nobles managed to keep Milton out of the net. Although Nobles kept pressuring the Milton defense and scored two goals, Milton goalie Zoe Katz ‘20 managed to keep Nobles from beating Milton’s line of defense. Katz made many great saves, the most memorable being her penalty kick save. Katz stared down the Nobles player and made a tremendous block that prevented Nobles from taking an early lead. Even though Milton fought until the end, Nobles managed to keep Milton from scoring and won the game 2-0.
As Varsity Girls’ Soccer was playing, Milton Field Hockey put in their mouth guards and got ready to play Nobles. Going into the game, Milton knew that Nobles would be a tough opponent. However, they did not let that scare them. Milton played fiercely, pressuring the Nobles defense and stopping shots from the Nobles forwards. However, Nobles weaseled their way around the Milton defense and strengthened their defense, allowing only one Milton goal. The final whistle blew, signalling Nobles’ 5-1 win.
While Girls’ Soccer and Field Hockey played, Milton Boys’ Soccer was playing one of the most important games of their season. The week before rivalry weekend, Milton’s Boys’ Soccer suffered a devastating loss against Brooks. The loss bumped Milton from first in the ISLs to second, putting their chances of making playoffs in jeopardy. However, a win against Nobles and a loss for Middlesex would ensure that Milton would make the eighth seed in NEPSAC playoffs. The game was evenly matched until, in the last 10 minutes of the game, Milton was awarded with a penalty kick. Ollie Clarke ‘21 was to take the penalty. The fans held their breaths. Clarke ran up to shoot and the ball hit the bottom left corner of the net. Milton was up 1-0. The next ten minutes were crucial. Nobles battled hard to get on the scoreboard but in the end, Milton managed to fend them off and win 1-0.
As the Boys’ Soccer Team celebrated their victory, the Milton Football Team was fighting hard against the Bulldogs. The Mustangs were down by ten the whole game. As the third quarter rolled around the Mustangs managed to cut Noble’s lead down to four. However, in the fourth quarter, Nobles scored another touchdown, bringing their lead up to 11. Milton tried hard to fight back, but the Nobles defense was just too strong. Milton could not score again. The Bulldogs ran off with a 17-6 win.
Although Milton did not win many games, the quality of play and the upbeat atmosphere of Rivalry Weekend kept everyone’s spirits high. Nobles’ Day is always a day full of fun no matter if Milton wins or not. Besides, we have a year to prep and get ready to face Nobles again.