Milford scored early and they scored often, putting up 50 first half points and ultimately running away from rival Loveland, 71-21 during Week 5 of the 2018 prep football season. The Eagles offense was relentless, scoring on all but its last possession of the game in finishing with what is believed to be a school record for points in a game. Junior QB Hunter Johnson topped 300 yards passing and tossed six touchdowns, while senior RB Cameron Kells finished with 238 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns.

First Quarter

• Milford took its first offensive drive straight down the field as Kells capped a nine-play, 81-yard drive with a one-yard TD run. The two-point conversion try failed, leaving the score at 6-0 just over five minutes in.
• After forcing a quick three-and-out, the Eagles went right back to work, finishing a scoring drive with Johnson’s first TD of the night, a 37-yard strike to Jake Ayler.
• The defense got in on the act on Loveland’s next possession, taking advantage of a mishandled kick return by the Tigers. With the ball on its own four, Loveland RB Liam Hamill was wrestled down in the end zone by senior DL C.T. Phillips for Milford’s second safety of the season.
• Dylan Hughes ran the free kick back 35 yards following the safety, setting the stage for a Johnson to connect on a 19-yard catch and run to his big TE, senior Connor Foster. Junior Grace Ertel connected on her second PAT of the quarter for a 22-0 lead.
• Hamill kept Loveland within striking distance the next time the Tigers had the ball, getting loose for his first of two TDs on the night, this one from 43 yards out, making the score 22-7 just seconds before the end of the quarter.

Second Quarter

• The second quarter started the way the first ended, with more points going up on the board. For Johnson, it was TD number three already, this time connecting with senior WR Dylan Hughes from 16 yards away.
• Hamill and the Tigers answered nearly 1:30 later when Hamill again broke away from the Milford defense, this time from 66 yards out.
• The next Milford possession started with a bang when Johnson hit Hughes for a 45-yard bomb that put the Eagles into the red zone again. The drive ended two plays later when Kells hit paydirt for the second time, this time from 16 yards. Ertel’s PAT stretched the lead to 36-14.
• Senior DL Brian Stevens made a big play on the next Loveland drive, stuffing the Tiger ball carrier on fourth and one to hand the ball back to the offense. Kells then found the end zone again, this time hauling in a 41-yard TD pass from Johnson.
• The Eagles stretched the lead to 50-14 just before the half on Johnson’s fifth TD of the half, a short two-yard toss to Ayler.

Third Quarter

• The third quarter started with a bang from an unlikely source. Phillips made his second big play of the night on the opening kickoff, rumbling 30 yards to set up Kells. On his first (and last) touch of the second half, Kells burst 45 yards for yet another Milford score.
• Johnson’s night ended just before the five-minute mark of the third, but not before he picked up TD pass number six, this time a 24-yard strike to Jared Engelman for the senior’s first career score.

Fourth Quarter

• With the second half, 30-point differential prompting the second half running clock and the Eagles doing their best to bleed the play clock, the fourth quarter scoring was limited. Milford’s only score of the period came courtesy of sophomore RB Mason Roy who rushed in from four yards out.
• Loveland rounded out the night’s scoring with a short TD pass as both team’s younger players got a taste of varsity action.

Notable

• Hunter Johnson’s 327 yards passing marked the first 300-plus yard passing game for a Milford quarterback over the last decade.
• Kells finished the night with 153 yards rushing, marking his third 100-yard game of the season and the fourth of his career.
• Hughes topped 100 yards receiving (finishing with 103) for the second time this season and the third time in his career.
• Ertel was successful on all nine of her PAT attempts and leads the ECC in extra points with 22.
• Milford retained the Miami Township Victory Bell for the second straight year.
• Jacob Turner led the defense with eight tackles and a forced fumble.

Click here for the final Milford-Loveland game stats and here for a photo gallery from the game courtesy of Tammy Ruehrwein.

Up Next

• The Eagles, now 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the ECC, face a big one next Friday night in Week 6 when they travel to Anderson, site of last season’s epic contest that clinched a share of the league title for Milford. The game will be the WCPO Channel 9 Game of the Week.