On Friday night, Milford hosted visiting Delmar in a football game that could best be described as closer than it needed to be. While Milford would eventually beat Delmar, it was a game that left Milford with a lot to think about. Perhaps the most alarming were the mental mistakes Milford made during the game. In reality, the game was much closer than the final score would indicate. While The Bucs defense was solid for the majority of the night, their running game had been absent for large portions of the game as Delmar keyed on senior running back Andrew Sivels.
While it looked as if Milford might run away with it early as senior fullback Trent Lovett scored on a 25-yard run with 6:35 remaining in the first quarter, giving Milford a 6-0 lead after a failed two point attempt. Followed by a 55-yard touchdown run by Sivels with 10:44 remaining in the second quarter extending the Buccaneer to 12-0 following another unsuccessful two point attempt. The game was just beginning.
With Delmar loading the line to stop Sivels, Milford had no answer for the stout Wildcat defense. Even more troubling was Milford miscues or penalties when they were able to move the ball. As a result, Delmar stuck around when Milford could have put them away with the Bucs taking their lead into the locker room.
“The first half went well enough for us, the idea is to win and part of that is winning the first half. Having said that, we had a lot of mistakes, not only in the first half, but for some big portions of the game that we really need to work on to be the team we want to be.” coach Rod Milstead said.
In the second half, Delmar continued their focus on stopping Sivels, while working to get their own offense going against a stingy Milford defense. It did not help as Milford had a pair of turnovers in the third quarter as the 12-0 lead seemed less safe than it did at the end of the first half. It is well known that if you let Delmar hang around, they will probably find a way to get back in the game. That would be just the case as the Wildcats took just three plays to cover 75 yards as they got their only touchdown of the game. A failed two point conversion would halve the Milford advantage to 12-6 with 8:35 remaining in the game.
Finally, when Milford needed it most, Sivels put Milford on his back. He would not be denied, even with the entire Wildcat defense focused on him. While he was still getting hit early and often, Sivels refused to go down as Milford had a long and sustained drive to eat precious minutes off the clock. While Milford would have two touchdowns taken off the board on consecutive holding penalties after starting first and goal from the Delmar five-yard line, Sivels would finally bust loose from 25 yards out to secure the victory. The score was 19-6 after a successful extra point by the Bucs.
“Drew is very special. Even though we weren’t at our best tonight on the offensive line, he was there when we needed him most. It’s really a blessing to have him on our team, he is a very tough individual.” Milstead stated.
The win moves Milford to 4-0 for the season, which does not get any easier from here as they enter District 2A play hosting a 4-1 Odessa team which defeated Milford 44-6 last season. Adding in the fact that this will be Milford’s homecoming game, this is shaping up to be a huge test for Milford who are coming of two consecutive, physical games.
“We have so much to clean up on both sides of the ball to try and compete with them. They are a very good team who handled us pretty easy last year. If what we did to ourselves tonight happens against them, we are going to be in for a long night. However, I believe in these guys and think we can play up to the level we are capable of.” Milstead concluded.
Kickoff is set for 7pm, with traffic and parking expected to be difficult at Briggs stadium.
