Friday Night Lights 2024

On Friday night the Millbrook community bundled up and made the short walk to Callard Field for football under the lights. The Mustangs made a special entrance, galloping through a paper banner signed by their classmates, who lined the chains on the hill cheering and passing around a megaphone to amplify their support. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the electric lights took over and the dropping temperature necessitated regular runs to the concession stand for hot chocolate.

Play started with a bang as visiting Albany Academy returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Millbrook responded by giving the Cadets a taste of their own medicine, with Alex Drury ’26 taking Albany’s first kickoff into the endzone. Both teams’ two-point conversion attempts failed, and they remained knotted at six points apiece until Dury again scored, this time on a pitch from Quarterback Elias Castro ‘27, giving Millbrook a 12-6 lead with 5:14 left in the first quarter.

Unfortunately, things started falling apart for the Mustangs following their second touchdown. Backed up to their own goal line early in the second quarter, Millbrook surrendered a safety on an errant snap through the back of the endzone, and Albany capitalized by returning the subsequent kickoff for a touchdown. They converted their two-point conversion to go up 16-12 and never looked back. Another safety and two more touchdowns later, Albany carried a 34-12 lead into the half.

Millbrook made a valiant comeback attempt in the second half, as Drury added three more touchdowns, bringing his total to five on the day. The Mustangs outscored the Cadets 18-14 in the final two quarters, pulling within two scores but eventually falling 48-30.

Despite the home team not securing a victory, Friday night football was an entertaining affair with plenty of action and cries of “Let’s go ‘brook” filling the frigid autumn air. Millbrook’s football squad will now prepare to do it one more time at noon on Saturday, November 9, when they welcome the rival Pomfret School Griffins to Callard Field for the final game of the season.

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