Milford Athletics

QB Luke Brand led a Senior Night offensive outburst with five total touchdowns as Milford snapped a four-game losing streak with a convincing 42-7 win over Little Miami. The Eagles did all of their scoring in the first half as Brand rushed for three touchdowns and threw for two, one each to David Kittrell and Joey Dahmer.

Not to be outdone, the Milford defense, which has struggled particularly against the run, limited Little Miami to just 105 yards of total offense. On the strength of five sacks, the Panthers had -30 yards rushing to their credit.

Brand was efficient through the air and evasive on the ground, finishing 22 of 26 for a season-high 293 yards. He also converted three short TD runs to lead the Milford offense. Caden Bailey led Milford with 91 receiving yards, while senior RB Malcolm Evans paced the ground game with a career-high 82 rushing yards.

Little Miami tried to catch the Eagles off guard to start the game, attempting an onside kick that was recovered by the home team. A drive keyed by a 33-yard Brand to Bailey connection culminated in Brand rushing in for the final yard and a 7-0 Eagle lead.

Following a LM punt, Brand scored with his legs again, racing in from 12 yards out with just over five minutes remaining in the quarter. The senior signal caller made it three rushing TDs in the quarter just over three minutes later when he followed his blockers into the end zone from two yards out.

While Brand did it with his legs in the first quarter, he started the second stanza leading with his arm. Milford was able to overcome a third and 30 situation with consecutive receptions by Kittrell of 18 and 23 yards to get back into the redzone. Kittrell was rewarded later in the drive as he hauled in a four-yard toss from Brand for his first career touchdown and a 28-0 Milford lead.

After another LM punt, Milford’s next drive started with back-to-back catches of 20 and 29 yards by Bailey and later a nifty 22-yard run by Evans. The nine-play, 84-yard drive wrapped when Jordan Davis plowed in for a one-yard touchdown.

An unlikely hero and a last-minute substitution on back-to-back plays set up the final Milford score of the night with under a minute remaining in the half. First, senior DL Andrew Crouch perfectly read a screen pass, hauling in an interception that he returned 33 yards to the Little Miami 40. Just before the next snap, a Milford wideout was forced to the sideline with an equipment issue and was replaced in the line-up by Dahmer. The speedy sophomore hauled in a short Brand throw and did the rest with his legs, jetting 40 yards for a touchdown.

Crouch ended up with a huge night on the defensive side of the ball, getting credit for a pair of sacks, an additional tackle for loss, and a quarterback hurry on top of his interception. Jake Dixon led the Eagles with five tackles, including a sack.

Milford will look to finish the regular season with a .500 record and solidify its position in the playoffs when it travels to Turpin next Friday. The Spartans have dropped six straight, including Friday night’s 27-7 loss to Kings.