By Kevin Eickman
Lake wins the Battle of the Bell against Milford
Lake Forest was not a good host as it dismantled Milford 49-14 in a game that was not as close as the final score.
It was the fourth consecutive year that Lake Forest would defeat Milford in the “Battle of the Bell” rivalry series. The game marked the end of the season for Milford, while Lake Forest will enter the state 2A playoffs as the 6th seed and face No. 3 Howard.
Lake started the game with possession of the ball on their own 45-yard line and scored after five running plays and a few Milford penalties. The drive was capped by a 12-yard touchdown run by senior running back Ayden Young. With the extra point, Lake had a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.
Milford moved the ball on its next possession to midfield before being forced to punt. The result looked to be a spectacular touchdown return by Lake senior Darius Miller. However, a block in the back penalty would negate the touchdown.
Starting at their own 10-yard line, the Lake running game would get to work as they ran over and around the Milford defensive front. Junior quarterback Jackson Parsons would take a quarterback sweep 55 yards to Lake’s advantage to 14-0 with just under four minutes to go in the game’s opening quarter.
Milford went three and out on their next possession. A poor punt would allow Lake to begin their next drive at the Milford 42-yard line. Once again, the Lake ground game would continue to churn out yardage as Milford offered little resistance. Lake would complete the 58-yard drive on a five-yard touchdown pass from Parsons to Miller, extending the lead to 21-0.
On their next possession, Milford would have their only shining moment of the game. Moving the ball on the ground, they worked their way to midfield before running a halfback-throwback from fellow juniors Cayden Jarett to Rahlier Rankin for a 50-yard touchdown. They did not convert the extra point and trailed 21-6, which was they closest they’d get.
Lake then scored three more touchdowns before halftime and the teams headed to the locker rooms with Lake leading 42-6.
The second half was played with a running clock, and each team scored once, with Lake substituting liberally.
Milford finished the season with a 4-6 record, while Lake moved to 6-4.
Milford Coach Jed Bell reflected on the season and the future.
“We only graduated six seniors this year and we had a lot of sophomores and juniors out there,” he said. “Hopefully this will help the team grow into the potential we have and we will get better off of what we learned this season.”
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