Milton High's retooled football team fell 42-25 to Marshfield at Brooks Field on Thursday, Sept. 10, as the visitors' passing attack produced five touchdown passes in a non-conference season opener.

Marshfield senior quarterback Nate Rollinson threw all five scores, three of them to receiver Luke Richardson, and the visitors scored in every quarter. Milton, which reached the Division III state semifinals in 2025, trailed from the opening period and never led.

"Self-inflicted mistakes," Milton head coach Steve Dembowski told MassLive after the game. "This is a top-level program. That's why we scheduled them."

The Wildcats fell behind 14-6 after the first quarter and 21-6 at halftime. Marshfield's first score came on a 54-yard pass from Rollinson to Richardson down the left sideline, with Richardson bobbling the ball off his helmet before hauling it in. Milton answered with a 4-yard touchdown pass from new starting quarterback Sean Lane to Jayden Dubois, but Rollinson connected with Richardson again for a 44-yard score to make it 14-6. A 30-yard touchdown pass to senior Cole Hannigan, set up by a Jimmy Perfetuo interception in the end zone, pushed Marshfield's halftime lead to 21-6.

Milton cut into the deficit in the third quarter. Lane connected with junior Taj Chung on a 64-yard touchdown, but Richardson's third touchdown catch of the night, a 52-yarder, answered right back for Marshfield. Peter Skutnik returned a kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown to keep Milton within reach, but Austin Bossey's 15-yard touchdown run pushed the margin to 35-19 heading into the fourth.

Sean Chesebro's 25-yard touchdown catch — Rollinson's fifth and final touchdown pass of the night — made it 42-19 in the fourth quarter. Dubois capped the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run for Milton, setting the final 42-25 margin.

Lane finished 16-of-25 passing for 260 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, according to the Boston Globe. Rollinson completed his five touchdown passes among 248 yards through the air. Richardson hauled in his three touchdowns among 193 receiving yards.

Milton graduated record-setting quarterback Patrick Collins and record-setting receiver Ronan Sammon from the 10-2 2025 squad, leaving just two returning offensive starters, according to the Patriot Ledger. Skutnik, a St. Lawrence signee, and Chung, the son of former New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung, are among the key returners on a roster that brought back seven defensive starters. Chung also intercepted a pass in the end zone for Milton in the final minute of the first half.

Dembowski, in his 12th season at Milton with a 91-29 record as the Wildcats' coach, said the team gave away too many easy scores and needs to respond with urgency.

Milton opens Bay State Conference play at Natick on Friday, Sept. 18, at 6:30 p.m.