Milford opens playoffs at WL Western
By Jeff Theisen
Sports writer
 The price of poker goes way up Friday night with the first round of the football playoffs.
The Mavericks begin their first journey under Part II of the Pat Fox head coaching duties for Milford on Friday at Walled Lake Western.
“The biggest different between the regular season and this is it's a lot more intense,” said Fox. “It's exciting. You're in your 10th week of the season, your teams are getting better, your preparation is a little bit better so the level of football is better. It's just cool.
“As a coach it's great. You don't have to worry about your lower level programs. You can just focus on what you're doing.”
The 8-1 Warriors started the season a perfect 7-0 before falling in a tight contest to Grand Blanc in the KLAA Lakes Conference title game, 23-21.
Western has shown a potent offense, pouring in 50 or more in the first three games of the year and putting up 49 more in a win to close out the regular season with a win against Belleville. Click here for the Full Story
Milford reaches sixth win, dumps rival Lakeland
By Jeff Theisen
Sports writer
 A 20-point outburst in the second quarter by host Milford proved to be too much to overcome for Lakeland as the Mavericks went on to win 33-14 Friday night.
Milford junior quarterback Alex Larson ran a pair of short TDs and threw another to Brandon Wallace from 23 yards out for a 20-0 halftime advantage.
Both teams went scoreless in the third, but the fourth quarter got off to a wild start.
Lakeland scored on the first play of the fourth when QB Casey Palanca hit Anthony Waite with a five-yard score.
On the first play of the next possession for Milford, Wallace got loose for an 80-yard score.
The Eagles answered right back on their next play when Palanca found Waite wide open in the middle of the field for a 65-yard score to pull back within 27-14. In the first 32 seconds of the fourth quarter, 21 points were scored. Click here for the Full Story
Milford falls 35-28 at Walled Lake Northern
By Jeff Theisen
Sports writer
 Stalled drives doomed Milford on Friday night in a 35-28 loss at Walled Lake Northern.
The Mavericks had four drives into the Knights' redzone which resulted in only six points.
Milford opened the scoring when Alex Larson hit receiver Jordan Hayward for a 15-yard TD in the first quarter.
The Knights scored 21 straight points with a pair of Kirk Thomas touchdown passes and a Jake Ginster run.
Milford kicker Dylan Polcyn added a field goal to trim the lead to 21-10 at the half.
Polcyn added another field goal to open the second half after a drive stalled in the redzone.
Thomas added a short touchdown run to put the Knights back in front 28-13 by the end of the third quarter. Click here for the Full Story
Mavericks look to lock up playoff spot
By Jeff Theisen
Sports writer
 Milford is one win away from locking up a guaranteed playoff birth. Walled Lake Northern will need to win out to lock up a spot.
Both teams will have plenty on the line Friday night in Walled Lake.
“You want to punch your ticket as soon as you can,” said Milford head coach Pat Fox. “Our kids are excited. We're making progress and they're seeing it. We have a chance to continue to make progress, and that's what we want to do.”
The Knights bring an up-tempo offense fresh off a 28-21 win against Lakeland. They use a spread formation and will have no problem taking to the air if needs be.
“They have an option attack. They do some rocket sweeps and they like to throw the ball a little bit,” said Fox. “They're fairly solid against the run and have competed a high level all year long. They're a solid team ...... Click here for the Full Story
Mavericks recover 7 fumbles in blowout
By Brian Beaupied
Gannett News Service
 Milford has been on the wrong side of the turnover battle in a blowout loss at Grand Blanc earlier this year. Friday was the other side of the coin, and Milford head coach Pat Fox had a much better time watching his team scoop up seven Howell fumbles during a 42-7 win Friday in Howell.
“You don't ever want to be on that side of it, and we have been there,” Fox said of the turnovers. “Our kids played awful hard. Our kids just seem to be getting a little saltier. They're playing hard and playing together and we're real pleased with that.”
The Highlanders watched the football — and possibly their playoff hopes — slip out of reach on a Homecoming night where it rained, rained harder, rained sideways and then rained some more. Click here for the Full Story
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Milford looks for another positive rebound
By Jeff Theisen
Sports writer
Milford and Howell have had similar results this year. Both have shown the ability to be good, but have also shown massive problems with turnovers.
“Howell's a lot like we are,” said Milford coach Pat Fox. “They play really good football and they tend to be generous with the ball to the other team like we have. We're both very good up front and both have struggled some at the skill positions. They have a nice tailback and they're quarterback is a three-year starter who is very solid.
“Whoever wins the battle of the turnover ratio will go home happy.”
Both teams are fighting to move up within the potent KLAA West Division. With each team at 1-2, someone is going to be left in the rear-view mirror after Friday.
The Mavs responded well after their first loss of the year, and Fox and company are hoping for much of the same this time around. Click here for the Full Story
Bulldogs take bite out of Milford
By Tom Morelli
Special to Milford Times
In the game of football, you win some and you lose some.
For the Mavericks, their game last week against division rival Brighton ended up being the latter in a 42-21 heartbreaker.
Milford showed some promise from the onset, forcing the Bulldogs to fumble the ball away on their opening possession, leaving the Mavericks to take over at their opponents' 41-yard line.
The Mavericks (3-2 overall, 1-2 KLAA West) ran the ball effectively right out of the gates, with two carries by running back Brandon Wallace for a combined 11 yards. Upon entering the redzone it was quarterback Alex Larson who took over the job as the lead ball-carrier, rushing three times on the drive, including an 11-yard keeper into the right end of the endzone. Click here for the Full Story
Milford knocks off Hartland 24-14
Milford Times
By Jeff Theisen
Sports writer
Milford took advantage of five Hartland turnovers to knock off the Eagles 24-14 Friday night in Maverick territory.
The Mavs got on the board first with a 22-yard Dylan Polcyn field goal off the opening drive of the game.
Following a fumble on the Hartland opening drive, Milford put the next play in the end zone with a 29-yard scoring pass to from Alex Larson to Brandon Wallace.
The Eagles got on the scoreboard with the opening play of the second quarter when Austen Pierce took a reverse 35 yards for the score. The point after was blocked, leaving Hartland down 10-6, which would stand through halftime.
Milford tacked onto the lead following an interception midway through the third. The Mavs took the ensuing drive 64 yards, capped off by a 14-yard connection from Larson to Jordan Hayward. Click here for the Full Story
Mavs, Eagles looking for first win in West
Milford Times
By Jeff Theisen
Sports writer
Hartland was one of four teams to make the playoff out of the KLAA West Division last year.
The Eagles haven't found the treading quite the same this year, starting out 1-2.
Ann Arbor Skyline tripped up Hartland 28-25 in week one as part of the showcase games at Eastern Michigan.
The Eagles cracked the winning column in week two by knocking off Livonia Franklin 15-6. Last week, Howell beat the Eagles 20-13 to open divisional play.
“Hartland's a better team than their record indicates,” said Milford coach Pat Fox. “They play a very physical brand on defense. They're young, and they play hard.”
Offensively, the Eagles are similar in style to the Mavs. They spread it out and use up-tempo styles. Click here for the Full Story
Grand Blanc jumps all over Mavericks
Milford Times
By Jeff Theisen
Sports writer
Grand Blanc jumped all over Milford early on Friday night and rolled to a 50-21 victory to open KLAA West Division play for both teams.
The Bobcats took the opening kick off and steamrolled down the field, mostly through the air. Quarterback Bart Williams threw his first of four touchdowns on the night to Lester Liston from the five, less than two minutes in.
Milford coughed up the ball on the second play of the game with a fumble. It would be the first of five turnovers for the Mavs.
“Multiple turnovers in the first quarter against a great football team is never going to lead to a successful night,” said Milford head coach Pat Fox. “It got out of hand quick tonight because of that.” Click here for the Full Story
Grand Blanc roughs up Milford!
Milford Times
By Jeff Theisen
Sports writer
It was all Grand Blanc in the first half Friday night as the Bobcats scored the first 37 points and went on to win 50-21 to open KLAA West Division play.
Grand Blanc took the opening drive of the game in for a score and forced a Milford fumble on the second play for the Mavs. After recovering the ball, the Bobcats used a double pass to push the lead to 14-0 barely two and a half minutes in.
Grand Blanc forced another turnover and cashed in the next drive on a rushing touchdown. The Bobcats finished off hte scoring in the first quarter with a third passing touchdown for a 28-0 lead. Click here for the Full Story
Milford opens divisional play at Grand Blanc!
Milford Times
By Jeff Theisen
Sports writer
Milford is doing as good as it can possibly be with a 2-0 record.
The schedule is about to turn up, and turn up big time with the KLAA West Division portion of the schedule starting.
The Mavs will take a trip to Grand Blanc to take on the 1-1 Bobcats on Friday.
Grand Blanc suffered its first loss last week with a 35-31 loss to powerhouse Canton. The season started with a 21-14 win against Flint Carman-Ainsworth. Click here for the Full Story
Milford dominates Wayne Memorial 42-14!
Milford Times
By Gary Ward
Special to the Milford Times
The Milford football squad came out with a balanced game plan that proved too much for an outmanned Wayne Memorial team in a 42-14 win last Thursday.
Milford head coach Pat Fox said, “They were putting a lot in the box. We were trying to get the ball to the flank a little more.” Based on the strong offensive performance his game plan worked. Click here for the Full Story
Milford hammers Mott 55-3 in opener!
Milford Times
By Jeff Theisen
Staff writer
Milford head coach Pat Fox was given a very welcome present for his first game back with the Mavericks with a 55-3 shellacking at Waterford Mott on Friday.
“I think all of our kids played very well. I was very pleased,” he said. “It was a nice team win." Click here for the Full Story
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