Milton Enjoying Best Campaign

Hail to the chief, Robert Milton, student body president at St. Francis High, starting tailback for the Golden Knights’ 4-1 football team.

A political football player, if you will.

Come to think of it, getting elected was a lot like making first string.

“First the teachers have to approve of you,” Milton said. “And then you just run.”

Has he ever. Milton, a 5-foot-9, 185-pound senior, has rushed for 891 yards in five games, eclipsing his total of 857 last season.

Milton--who goes by the nickname Trae, a derivative of Robert Milton III--has scored eight touchdowns and is a major reason for the success of the Golden Knights, who play host to Notre Dame in a Mission League opener Friday night.

Milton’s approval rating on campus understandably is up and his athletic efforts are hailed by his chief, Bill Redell, the St. Francis coach.

“He’s a real hard-nosed runner,” Redell said. “This year, he’s been running the ball a lot.”

Milton’s administrative duties pretty much keep him running all the time.

“We run all the activities on campus--dances, community services, homecoming, fund-raisers . . .,” Milton said. “I have, like, no breaks during the day.”

Milton might have made an impact as a sophomore if not for a groin pull that hampered him during the season. He also suffered a deep thigh bruise.

Last season, Milton had healed enough to lead the Golden Knights in rushing, ahead of senior Darin Maxwell, a returning starter who led the team in rushing the previous season.

“He’s been hurt the past two years,” Redell said. “So he’s really been kind of unheard of.”