SETTING THE SCENE: Having won eight of its last nine contests and tied atop the Eastern Cincinnati Conference standings, the Milford High School boys lacrosse team will prepare for a first place battle with Loveland on Wednesday, highlighting this week’s slate. The Eagles are 8-3 overall and 3-0 in league play, with the Tigers at 8-5, 4-0 ECC. Milford also has a challenging road contest at Lebanon on Friday on tap this week.

THE UPCOMING DOCKET: A look at Milford’s schedule for the upcoming week:

• Wednesday, April 25 at Loveland, 7:30 p.m.
• 2018 Record: 8-5, 4-0 ECC (T-4^th area coaches’ weekly poll)
• Last Meeting: 2017; Loveland 11, Milford 10 & Milford 13, Loveland 10
• Series History: Tied, 1-1
• Friday, April 27 at Lebanon, 8:00 p.m.
• 2018 Record: 9-1 (10^th area coaches’ weekly poll)
• Last Meeting: None
• Series History: First meeting

A LOOK BACK: April 7 at Centerville: Dax Creager and Carson Geier tallied four goals and two assists each, leading the Eagles to a 16-5 road win at Centerville. Creager, known for his high level of skill on draws finished with 17 controls against the Ealks. Cameron Kells kept his strong season going with three goals, while Michael Waltz added two. Sean Lyons scored a goal and added three assists, while Rylan Childs and Kevin Morrison also found the back of the net in the win.

April 9 vs. Elder: Senior Dax Creager had a huge game, leading Milford to an 8-7 non-conference victory over Elder. Headed to High Point University to play next year, Creager scored three goals, assisted on a fourth, earned 16 draw controls and tallied 10 ground balls in the triumph. Cameron Kells kept his strong scoring season going with two more goals and two assists. Rylan Childs, Carson Geier and Sean Lyons were the other goal scorers for the winners.

April 11 vs. Anderson: Milford extended its win streak to six in a row as the Eagles handled Anderson by a 16-2 score. Dax Creager, Cameron Kells and Sean Lyons scored a trio of goals apiece, with Creager tacking on a pair of assists, 16 draw controls and 14 ground balls. Kells added four assists to his hat trick, while Lyons also assisted on two other goals. Rylan Childs scored two goals, while Carson Geier, Ryan Hezlep, Kevin Morrison, Carson Rainone and Hayden Rusenstein scored once each.

April 13 vs. Oak Hills: Rylan Childs and Cameron Kells scored four goals apiece and Dax Creager had another monster all-around game, leading the Eagles to a 16-5 win over Oak Hills. Creager tallied three goals of his own, added two assists, scored 19 draw controls and accumulated 17 ground balls. Kells added an assist, while Sean Lyons had two. Other goal scorers included Lyons and Jordan Winrod with one each. Gabe Tonucci finished with 10 saves in the net.

April 14 at Sycamore: Cameron Kells and Dax Creager combined for nine goals, leading Milford to a 15-9 road win at Sycamore. Kells scored five goals, while Creager added four and again doubled up on draw controls (20) and ground balls (13). Sean Lyons and Michael Waltz scored two goals each and combined for five assists, while Rylan Childs and Ryan Hezlep each found the back of the net once. Goalie Gabe Tonucci had seven saves.

April 21 vs. Mariemont: In a match-up against one of the area’s top teams, Milford had its eight-game winning streak snapped in a 16-9 loss to Mariemont. Rylan Childs, Carson Geier, Cameron Kells and Sean Lyons each scored two goals in the setback, while Michael Waltz scored once and added three assists. Dax Creager won 16 draws and added 13 groundballs.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: A look at Milford’s statistical leaders:

Goals: Cameron Kells (29), Dax Creager (19), Sean Lyons (15)

Assists: Michael Waltz (13), Cameron Kells (11), Dax Creager/Sean Lyons (10)

Groundballs: Dax Creager (90), A.J. Teague (57), Ryan Hezlep (41)

Draw Controls: Dax Creager (120), A.J. Teague (11), Carson Rainone (2)

Saves: Gabe Tonucci (90), Will Naylor (5)

POLL WATCH: Milford continues to receive votes in the Cincinnati Enquirer’s weekly area coaches’ poll which encompasses all divisions. St. Xavier holds the number one spot over GCL rival Moeller, with the Bombers earning seven first place votes and third place Mariemont the other three. Lakota East and Loveland of the ECC are tied for fourth. Kings and Turpin join the Eagles among others receiving votes. The coaches’ poll is released every Monday at Noon at preps.cincinnati.com/coachespolls.

COLLEGE BOUND EAGLES: A trio of seniors on the 2018 Eagles’ roster have already announced their intention to continue their athletic and academic careers on the collegiate level. Dax Creager has signed a National Letter of Intent at High Point University, while Ryan Hezlep will attend the University of Indianapolis and A.J. Teague is headed to Transylvania University.