Since his return to the fold after an injury against Narbonne to open the 2019 season, Buchanan’s five-star running back and future Georgia Bulldog Kendall Milton has scored eight touchdowns in his last three games.
Two against Central after initially coming back from his leg injury, three against Clovis West and then three again Friday night in a 27-20 win over Clovis at Lamonica Stadium.
Despite a rough start, the Bears moved to 2-1 in TRAC play.
Clovis put Buchanan on their heels on the opening kickoff. A fumbled catch allowed the Cougars to scoop up the ball, already knocking on the Bears door.
Clovis’ versatile-playmaker sophomore Nathan Johnson broke through the door with a 16-yard touchdown catch from Isaiah Robles, Clovis missed the extra point.
With the momentum already on the Cougars side early in the game, they were able to play at their pace and keep the Bears off balance on both sides of the ball.
The Cougars added a second score late in the first quarter after Tristan Risley scored on a 15-yard run.
Risley, nominated for the Clovis Roundup Player of the Week last week for a two-touchdown performance, pushed the Cougars lead to 13-0, a culmination of a dominant first quarter for the Cougars.
But, as Buchanan has done often this season, a comeback was in order.
Milton cradled the game with both hands and never let go.
The future Georgia running back scored his first touchdown in the game just before the end of the first quarter on a short run. Milton’s combination of strength and anticipation allowed him to pick his holes and with power.
Milton broke loose for his second score in the second quarter on a 20-yard run to tie the game at 13.
The score wouldn’t be tied for much longer after Milton once again, put his five-star talent on display.
The Buchanan senior caught a short swing pass out of the backfield from quarterback Ian Kirby and turned upfield, sprinting past multiple Cougar defenders on the edge.
Milton reached the sideline turned on another gear and outran his opponents. The Buchanan running back can run inside and outside the tackles and catch passes out of the backfield with ease.
The Bears had a 20-13 and never looked back, despite a Clovis high surge late in the game.
Robles relied on his arm and the legs of Cougars receiver Grant Lake.
Lake relied on his quickness to beat the Buchanan secondary for a 20-yard touchdown catch to bring the game back into Clovis’ sights.
But, the Buchanan offense still had a trick up its sleeve.
Kirby, who had over 300 yards passing in the game, found Stephen Shelley to ice the game for the Bears.
Shelley and Kirby connected on a touchdown pass from almost 40 yards out to push the score 27-20 with less than five minutes remaining. The Bears defense followed suit by holding Clovis in the final minutes to take the victory and move to 2-1 in TRAC play.
Clovis will head to Veterans Memorial Stadium with a meeting with the Clovis North Broncos, while the bears will return to Lamonica Stadium next week for a matchup with the Clovis East Timberwolves.