By Kevin Eickman
Milford fell to Woodbridge
Sometimes, it’s just not your night.
The Milford Buccaneers began 2A conference play Friday night against Woodbridge, but were never really in the game, losing by a 42-6 score.
The Buccaneers received the opening kickoff, got a first down and then were forced to punt. The visitors took over and senior RB Kam’Ren Johnson took the ball straight up the middle through a gapin hole and kept running 68 yards to the end zone, giving the Blue Raiders a 6-0 lead just four minutes into the game.
Woodbridge consistently controlled the line of scrimmage throughout the game. While Milford moved the ball at times, they were never able to get their offense going.
“Woodbridge came out very fast tonight and we really never found our footing,” said Milford Coach Jed Bell. “There is nothing you can do but tip your hat to them. They controlled the tempo of the game from the start and we really had no answers.”
Realizing they would need points to keep up with Woodbridge, Milford attempted a fake punt early in the second quarter. While there was a window, the pass went off the tips of Milford’s intended receiver on the play allowing Woodbridge to take over at their own 41-yard line.
With Milford beginning to crowd the line, Woodbridge would go to the air, as senior Quarterback Logan Morgan would connect on a 35-yard pass play to junior Malachi Hayes, setting up the Raiders deep inside Buccaneer territory. It would be the Woodbridge running game that would take over from there as Johnson would take the ball in from 18 yards out. The successful two-point conversion would extend the Woodbridge advantage to 14-0.
The Woodbridge dominance would continue for the remainder of the first half. Even when Milford pinned the Raiders deep on their own 10-yard line, their offensive line continued to control the line of scrimmage as they quickly moved into Milford territory before finding the end zone to extend their lead to 21-0, with just over four minutes remaining in the first half.
The only sign of life for Milford would come late in the second quarter as they capitalized on a turnover in Woodbridge territory with just over two minutes left. With time running down, the Buccaneers ran a trick play as junior Quarterback Cayden Jarrett would hand the ball to classmate Rahlier Ranken. While it appeared that Woodbridge had the running play snuffed out, Ranken let fly with a pass to a wide-open Jarrett for Milford’s only score of the game. Milford would go into halftime trailing 21-6, and would never get closer.
The game would end with a running clock and more questions than answers for Milford, which has four g
After the game, a disappointed Coach Bell said, “Tonight was a real eye-opener for us as a team. While we are young, we can’t just show up and not play our best and expect to win at the same time. I think the speed Woodbridge had was a bit surprising to our guys. You can look at tape all day long but you can’t simulate the speed they possess.”
It doesn’t get easier for Milford, now 4-2 (0-1) with a road trip to a big and powerful Laurel team as they celebrate Homecoming Saturday at noon.
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