It was a tale of two halves in a game between the top two ranked Class D2 football teams. The result was a victory for the home team, as #2 Exeter-Milligan posted a 46-20 victory over #1 ranked Falls City Sacred Heart Friday night in Milligan.

Sacred Heart got on the board first, taking the opening kick-off and driving 51 yards on eight plays, capped by a seven yard touchdown run by Sawyer Kean to stake the Irish to a 6-0 lead. The Timberwolves answered late in the first quarter, when junior quarterback Sam Zeleny connected with Jarrett Maxon on a 25 yard TD pass. The two-point conversion gave the Timberwolves an 8-6 lead after one quarter.

Sacred Heart answered quickly, retaking the lead early in the second quarter. Austin Malone finished a 65 yard Irish drive with a nine-yard touchdown run. Malone then intercepted a Zeleny pass and raced 45 yards to give Sacred Hear a 20-8 lead with 7:27 remaining in the first half.

Exeter-Milligan narrowed the Irish lead late in the second quarter. Senior tailback Kyle Jensen, who came into the game averaging 210 yards rushing per game, scored on an 11 yard run with 2:13 to play in the second quarter. Sacred Heart drove to the Timberwolves' 18 yard line on the next possession, but two passes into the endzone fell incomplete in the final 12 seconds of the quarter, and Sacred Heart held onto a 20-16 halftime lead.

That lead disappeared quickly in the second half. The Irish kicked off to Exeter-Milligan. Kyle Jensen picked up the ball at the 10 yard line, got to the edge, turned up the sideline and bolted to a 70 yard touchdown. The Timberwolves forced a three-and-out on Sacred Heart's next possession and zeleny then connected with Maxon for the second time, from 14 yards out, to make the score 30-20 E-M with 9:06 left in the third quarter.

The Timberwolves scored once more in the quarter. After an Irish punt gave E-M the ball on their own 16 yard line, it was Kyle Jensen bursting through the defense again for a 64 yard touchdown run. Exeter-Milligan led 38-20 after three quarters.

They added one more score in the fourth quarter on a one-yard Kyle Jensen run, capping a drive that started at the Timberwolves' one yard-line and included a 60 yard run by Jensen.

For the game, Jensen finished with 225 yards rushing on 23 carries, after the Irish defense held him to 54 yards in the first half. He also had a 70 yard kick off return for a touchdown and caught a pass for 43 yards.

Zeleny completed 6-of-7 passes for 96 yards. 

For Sacred Heart, Austin Malone rushed for 138 yards on 19 carries and one touchdown. Sawyer Kean had 70 yards on 13 carries, with a touchdown, but he did not play in the second half. 

Exeter-Milligan remains unbeaten, with a 6-0 record, while Sacred Heart falls to 4-2. The Irish return to Jug Brown Stadium this coming week, for a district game against Sterling. It will be homecoming for the Irish Friday night.