The Milford Eagles ran into a buzzsaw in the regional semifinals on Friday, November 9.
Colerain entered the game a perfect 11-0 on the season and showed why, scoring all 48 points in the first half en route to a 48-14 win over the Eagles.
Milford head coach Tom Grippa praised the Cardinals’ speed and said the squad was one of the best to come out of the school in a while.
“We had a great game plan, but I haven’t seen a team that fast in a long time,” Grippa said. “I think that’s the best Colerain team since 2004. They beat everybody by that score.”
The game was close for about seven minutes. Colerain started the scoring with a 29-yard touchdown run by JJ Davis with 8:29 left in the first quarter.
Milford answered on the next drive thanks to a nifty catch by Dylan Hughes, who went up between a pair of defenders to snag a 34-yard touchdown pass from Hunter Johnson. Johnson, who was hit on the play just after releasing the ball, and Hughes both earned praise from Grippa for their play.
“We did some good things,” Grippa said. “Hughes is a really good player, Hunter can spin the ball.”
It was all Colerain from there. The Cardinals scored on a 14-yard touchdown run to take the lead with 3:17 left in the quarter, then added three straight touchdowns on interceptions returned for scores.
Ivan Pace Jr. returned the first one 44 yards, Jakari Patterson caught the second one on the goal line and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown, and Syncere Jones added a 38-yard score to put the Cardinals on top 35-7 with 10:00 left in the half.
Colerain scored two more touchdowns in the period, one on a 32-yard pass to Davis from Deante Smith-Moore and another on a 59-yard run by Pace Jr.
Milford’s final score of the game came with 6;09 left in the contest on a two-yard run by Caleb Johns. Grace Ertel converted the extra point on both of Milford’s touchdowns, bringing her season total to 49 on the season.
Johnson finished the game with 13 completions in 35 attempts for 160 yards and a touchdown. He was intercepted four times. Cameron Kells carried the ball 18 times for 29 yards. Johns only had six attempts, but he totaled 33 yards.
Hughes led all receivers on both teams with five catches for 97 yards and a touchdown. Jake Ayler had four receptions for 29 yards, and Connor Foster added two catches for 17 yards.
Defensively, Jacob Turner led the Eagles with eight tackles. He also had an interception. Haidyn Oberschlake and Lucas Bowling each recovered a fumble for Milford. Punter Brian Stevens uncorked a mammoth 72-yard punt.
“I’m really proud of our kids,” Grippa said. “This isn’t going to define us at all. Losing to that team is nothing to be ashamed of. We gave it a great effort, and I’m really proud of those kids.”
Looking to 2019, Milford loses several key players on both sides of the ball. However, the seniors left a mark on the program and the community that can never be erased.
“They may be the best team ever,” Grippa said. “I’m so proud of them. They may be the best football team in Milford history. We won a playoff game. We had never done that before.”