Southern Columbia Rolls Past Milton 42-14

Tagged under: District 4, Gameday Hub, News

Dave Fegley | October 17, 2026

Tigers Find Success on All Fronts

Southern Columbia has its sights set on another long postseason run, and Friday’s performance offered another indication of what the Tigers are working toward.

With the seniors celebrated before their final home regular-season game, Southern delivered in all three phases, building a 42-0 lead before finishing off a 42-14 victory over Milton at Jim Roth Field.

The Tigers improved to 7-1 with their second consecutive Mercy Rule victory, showing the balance and depth they hope to carry into the postseason.

“I think all our coaches were pleased overall in terms of the way we won. We had success in all areas,” Southern coach Jim Roth said. “I need to recognize Milton’s effort though. The score was lopsided when it was 42-0, but they didn’t make it easy. They have tough kids. It took us some time to get some big run plays going after we emphasized the passing game in the first quarter.”

Southern’s offense wasted little time getting started during a rather quick first quarter on the clock. Quarterback Ayden Hockenbroch connected with senior wide receiver Blaise Kissinger for touchdowns of 19 and 23 yards before finding senior tight end Jace Malakoski for an eight-yard score. The three passing touchdowns gave the Tigers a 21-0 advantage with 9:24 remaining in the first half.

For Hockenbroch, the production carried extra meaning on a night dedicated to the seniors.

“It was a special night that definitely had a different type of feel to it as a senior on our Senior Night,” Hockenbroch said. “I know we still have some home playoff games in the future, but I wanted to enjoy this moment. To be able to throw to my two favorite targets in the entire world made it even more special to me.”

Kissinger has now hauled in eight TDs while Malakoski has seven so far for the 15-time PIAA champions.

“Teams are focused on stopping our run game based on the offense we have, so it is great to have that balance. We have a variety of guys that we can count on in different situations,” said Roth. “Early on, it was clear that they were keying in on stopping Grady Garcia. When that happens, we have a talented group that has proven to be effective when we throw the ball.”

Once the Tigers established their passing attack, the ground game took over. Joey Williams broke free for touchdown runs of 40 and 29 yards, and Garcia added a 43-yard scoring run. Garcia finished with 160 rushing yards on 15 carries, while Williams rushed 10 times for 116 yards, and Gavin Brown ran hard as he continues to try to make an impact following offseason ACL surgery to complete the three-back system in the Wing-T.

Southern finished with 383 rushing yards and 476 total yards, controlling the game with a combination of explosive plays and sustained offensive production.

Senior captain and center Aidyn McHale stated that the production is a reflection of the work the Tigers have put in since their head scratching loss to Mount Carmel Area.

“We are now starting to really play to our potential these past two weeks. After that disappointing loss to Mount Carmel where we knew we had to fix some things because we had multiple opportunities to win, we just regrouped with the mentality of getting 1% better each day,” McHale said.

The emphasis now is on continuing that progress as the stakes increase.

“It is all about longevity. We want to be able to have another long season to reach what we feel is our potential of another state championship in Week 16,” Malakoski said. “You have to use games like these as an experience for what is down the road in terms of the schemes and styles of play.”

The Tigers’ defense and special teams contributed to the commanding lead. Southern held Milton scoreless through the first three quarters, while senior standout Chase Williams blocked another punt to add to his career total that is closing in on a program record. Fellow senior Jaden Carter returned the ball to the eight-yard line on the block, setting up a Southern scoring opportunity that came seconds later. Lincoln Billig converted on all six of his PAT attempts.

“I knew I could get to the punter after the first punt, so I was able to do that there later on,” Chase Williams said.

Williams and Carter also contributed in a disruptive fashion defensively to terrorize the Black Panthers, while senior Keagan Diehl recorded three pass breakups and Jon Davis intercepted a pass from Milton quarterback Paxton Humphrey.

Williams believes the Tigers’ continued improvement in the secondary will complement their strength against the run.

“It’s great to see our defense having more success in coverage. We are confident that we can stop anybody’s run game,” Williams said. “As we get better and better with our pass defense, it is only going to make us a better team overall.”

Milton managed two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but Southern had already built a 42-point cushion. The Black Panthers finished with 266 total yards, including 149 through the air and 117 on the ground. The majority of the yardage for the team on the losing end came after the result was already decided.

Despite the margin, Milton coach Matt Wilson credited Southern’s established approach while emphasizing his team’s determination to keep working.

“When you are playing a program like Southern Columbia that has that state championship mindset every single year, you just have to try and match their mentality and try to get to their level,” Wilson said. “The effort is there from our kids. We just need to continue to work and believe in ourselves.”

Southern has no stress on itself in terms of making the playoffs. They are the District 4 2A favorites. Milton is in a different predicament. They have to try and surpass Selinsgrove for the final ticket in 4A.

“We just need to focus on what we can do. We need to continue to play with that no-quit mentality for every play,” said Wilson.

For the Tigers, the next challenge is carrying Friday’s performance into the final two weeks of the regular season. Southern travels to Jersey Shore before closing its schedule at Selinsgrove, with both games offering opportunities to sharpen its execution before the postseason.

Roth said the team remains focused on improving as the playoffs approach, particularly in pass coverage, an area that will be tested again against Jersey Shore.

The goal is not simply to win convincingly in October. Southern wants to use these opportunities to prepare for the games that will ultimately determine how far its season goes.