Friday night, Milford traveled to Lake Forest for the annual “Battle of The Bell”. With Lake sporting a 5-1 record, there was little doubt that Milford was in for an enormous test. Getting the ball to start the game, Milford was able to drive the ball down the field deep into Lake territory to start the game. Unfortunately, the stingy Spartan defense was able to stop Milford and turn them over on downs when it mattered most.
“We really moved the ball the first drive and the fact that we didn’t come away with any points was disappointing.” Coach Rod Milstead stated.
What followed over the next several minutes would set the tone for the evening. Starting at their own 10-yard line with 4:50 remaining in the first quarter, Lake would proceed to march down the field. Utilizing a diverse attack predicated primarily on the run, Milford simply could not stop the hosting Spartans. The drive would extend until the beginning of the second when A.J. White scored from seven yards out to open the games scoring. Lake would kick off holding a 7-0 lead, and things would not improve for the Buccaneers after that.
On the first play of the drive, Milford would fumble and turn the ball over on their own 20-yard line. It would take Lake just a few plays to find pay dirt from there as they extended their lead to 14-0. On their next drive, Milford failed to move the ball on three plays and what followed was a total deflator for the Buccaneers. A wide snap and fierce Lake rush forced Milford punter Alan Gonzalez-Velasquez into a position where he had to kick it out of his own end zone for a safety. It was at that point where the Milford sideline seemed to become deflated.
“We were a little hyped-up heading into the game and then the way things unfolded we just became flat for a long period of the game. We knew we were going up against a very tough team and had to be perfect, we just weren’t. Looking at the film, you can see mental lapses and other mistakes. There is a lot to fix, and it falls on me to get it done. We are close, but at the same time we are having trouble getting over the hump.” Milstead stated.
Following the safety, Milford would surrender a touchdown on the ensuing free-kick and just like that Milford found themselves trailing 23-0 with 7:05 left in the first half. Milford’s only shining moment would come on the Lake kick-off as senior Andrew Sivels returned the ball 98 yards for a touchdown, but failed extra point attempt would cut the Milford deficit to 23-6. Lake did not take long to respond as a 60-yard touchdown run would extend their lead to 30-6, an advantage the Spartans took into the locker room.
Things would go from bad to worse for Milford as Lake would score on a 60-yard touchdown run to start the third quarter. On Milford’s next possession, they would fumble again, creating a running clock situation.
As the second half continued, Lake would continue to extend their advantage as Milford could not stop a very potent Lake offensive attack. The most interesting thing that happened during the course of the game was that freshman Romontae Jones played the entire game. It was the first time all season that junior Zach Ruckle did not see action. With Milford forced to abandon the run, Jones had some early difficulties in the game but seemed to grow into it as the game went on. Culminating with a late fourth quarter touchdown pass to Josua Jean-Baptiste to close out the games scoring.
When asked about Jones’ performance, Milstead responded “He is a freshman, so the game is very fast for him right now. The positive that we can take out of the game was that he was more decisive and quicker as the game went on. It’s a very difficult position to play, but I think he took some big steps forward. We still have Ruckle who will get his opportunities as well. The bottom line is that we have to get ready for another tough road game this Friday at Saint Mark’s, so we will get back to work and continue to learn. We have three games remaining and we intend to improve every week as the season goes on.”.
