MONONA 鈥 When Milton entered its road game Friday night against Monona Grove, the Red Hawks knew they were facing an extremely tough opponent; one of the toughest in the state, in fact.
The Silver Eagles (3-0) not only entered the night undefeated, but ranked as the No. 3 team in all of Division 2. The Red Hawks (0-3) came into the contest searching for their first win of the season.
It should come as no surprise, then, that Monona Grove was able to overpower Milton en route to a massive 42-7 victory under the lights at Monona Grove High School.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a very very good football team,鈥 Milton head coach Jeff Spiwak said following the result. 鈥淭hey deserve a lot of credit. They鈥檙e very well coached, they鈥檙e very physical.
鈥淚 still think that we came out and executed on some of the things we wanted to do. It felt like we were just 95 percent there all night, though, just not quite being able to make the plays.鈥
Monona Grove鈥檚 standout quarterback Jaxon Zukowski was the story of the night for the Silver Eagles. In the first quarter alone, Zukowski rushed for four touchdowns and 82 yards.
The junior鈥檚 night ended at halftime, along with the other Monona Grove starters, but not before he threw for an additional two passing touchdowns over the course of the second quarter, giving the Silver Eagles a 42-0 halftime lead.
Zukowski鈥檚 final stat line was going 8 for 11 for 86 passing yards and two passing touchdowns, alongside 10 carries for 100 yards and four rushing TDs.
The Red Hawks once again struggled to move the ball, amassing only 77 total yards of offense compared to Monona Grove鈥檚 360. However, Milton was able to hang its hat on its second-half performance, out-scoring the Silver Eagles 7-0.
Milton was able to make a big goal line stand on Monona Grove with the team forcing a fumble that senior Aidan McKeen returned all the way back to the Monona Grove 45-yard line.
A strong ensuing drive from the Red Hawk offense following the turnover resulted in a late consolation touchdown for Milton as quarterback Brice Remington linked up with Caden Pernot from 10 yards out, leading to the 42-7 final.
鈥(Brice) has been working his butt off, so seeing that little bit of success can go a long way,鈥 Spiwak said of his junior QB. 鈥淪ame goes for Caden. He鈥檚 a really good player and a really good athlete. I鈥檓 really happy to see him have a little bit of success by getting into the end zone to score.鈥
Remington ended his night for the Red Hawks 5 for 11 passing with 40 yards and a touchdown. Caden Pernot, who finished with two catches for 22 yards and a score, was Remington鈥檚 leading receiver.
Max Grady also brought in a team-high three receptions for 18 yards. Milton鈥檚 leading rusher was Brayden Dopkins, who ripped off 43 yards on eight carries to average 5.4 yards per run.
Both teams ended the night with a turnover a piece, both via unforced fumbles by the offense. Monona Grove also tacked on a pair of sacks in the win with two coming from senior Dom Melone.
The Red Hawks will now aim to get back on track next Friday, September 11, as Milton is set to host a visiting Sun Prairie West (1-2) that just earned its first win of 2026 in Week 3. Kickoff for that game is set for 7:00 p.m.
鈥淲e get back to work now. You have two choices: you lay down and quit or you show back up and put your nose to the grindstone and work. We鈥檙e a high-character team and we鈥檙e gonna get back out there and be better next week,鈥 Spiwak concluded.
MONONA GROVE 42, MILTON 7
Monona Grove 28 14 0 0
Milton 0 0 0 7
First quarter
MG 鈥 Zukowski 12-yd rush, (kick good). MG 鈥 Zukowski 13-yd rush, (kick good). MG 鈥 Zukowski 9-yd rush, (kick good). MG 鈥 Zukowski 4-yd rush, (kick good).
Second quarter
MG 鈥 Adame Vanegas 6-yd pass from Zukowski, (kick good). MG 鈥 Busalacchi 16-yd pass from Zukowski, (kick good).
Fourth quarter
MIL 鈥 Caden Pernot 10-yd pass from Remington, (kick good).