Milford Athletics

Milford scored on all six of its first half possessions, while its defense pitched a shutout and forced three turnovers, all in a 38-0 road victory over Walnut Hills. Jordan Davis provided the spark on offense, accounting for 175 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns. The Luke Brand-Caden Bailey combo, which accounted for a trio of passing touchdowns last week, added two more during a busy first half.

It was a short night for many of the Eagle offensive starters given the 38-point halftime lead, but it didn’t stop several from putting up big numbers. Davis rushed 12 times for 133 yards, adding three catches for 42 additional yards. Brand completed 10 of his 13 throws for 193 yards and the two scores to Bailey. The latter hauled in three total passes for 111 yards, marking his second consecutive 100-yard receiving performance. All told the Eagle offense generated 450 yards of total offense, despite the second half running clock. Senior K Mason Cooper was also phenomenal, connecting on five extra points and a field goal and nailing six of his seven kickoffs for touchbacks.

MHS was able to turn a Walnut fumble on its first offensive possession into a quick touchdown as on just the third Milford offensive snap of the night, Brand went up top to Bailey for a 34-yard score. Following a Walnut punt, it took just three plays for Brand to find Bailey again, this time for a 58-yard catch-and-run that made it 14-0 visitors.

Senior DB Tim Dick came up big on the next Walnut offensive possession as he intercepted QB Will Rivers. Eight plays and 66 yards later, Davis plowed in from two yards out for a 21-0 lead four seconds into the second quarter. Milford’s defense continued to stand strong, forcing another punt, this time leading to a 27-yard field goal by Cooper that ran the score to 24-0 with just under eight minutes remaining before half.

The turnovers kept coming for Walnut Hills as Christian Felix jumped on a fumble near the six-minute mark to put the Milford offense back on the field. It was the Davis show on that drive as he accounted for 67 total yards, including a 12-yard rush for his second score of the night.

Senior Carter Ings sparked the next Milford scoring drive, setting his team up following a 31-yard punt return to near midfield. With under a minute remaining, it was another senior, Malcolm Evans, bolting in from 25 yards out for the game’s final points.

The second half saw several fresh Milford faces join the action, including sophomore QB Jayden Bodley who completed five of six passes for 55 yards. As the fourth quarter clock rapidly clicked towards the end, another pair of youngsters, junior Jackson Hawkins and sophomore Gabriel Arbino made a shutout saving play on the night’s final snap. With Walnut moving on its best drive of the night, Rivers scrambled for a near touchdown as time expired, only to be tackled a yard short, preserving the first Milford shutout of the season.

Next week will be a big one for Milford as it takes to the road for the second straight week to battle unbeaten perennial power Winton Woods. The Warriors will no doubt be hungry after Milford’s dramatic 3-0 victory last season.