SETTING THE SCENE: Enjoying one of the best seasons to date of the last two decades, the Milford High School football team will return home for the first time in three weeks when the Eagles host Kings on Friday night at 7 p.m. The night will be a busy one as in addition to the on field action, Milford will celebrate its annual Crucial Catch Game, along with Youth Football and Cheer Night. Milford (5-1, 3-0 Eastern Cincinnati Conference) has won three straight in league play, outscoring their opponents by a 92-13 count. One more win this season will clinch the first winning season for Milford since 2000. Kings enters the game 2-4 overall and 1-2 in league action.

CRUCIAL CATCH GAME: During the month of October, the Milford Football program will be hosting a series of pink-out games in support of the Crucial Catch initiative. Crucial Catch is a program sponsored by the American Cancer Society to promote early detection of all types of cancer. Everyone who has been touched by this horrible disease understands how important early detection is. The NFL has teamed up with the ACS to promote and support this effort. Click here to learn more.

The junior high red/white games occurred on Oct. 5. Friday night’s varsity game vs. Kings will be a pink-out, as is Saturday’s junior high black game. The junior varsity and freshman squads will celebrate pink on Saturday, Oct. 21.

The hope is to have EVERY Milford supporter wearing PINK at all of these games. In addition, collection buckets will be passed around at halftime. Fans that wish to honor or remember a loved one who has been affected by breast cancer are invited to bring a non-returnable photo to tape on an in-stadium banner.

A LOOK BACK: Sept. 29 at Walnut Hills: Senior QB Blake King accounted for five total touchdowns as Milford picked up its fifth victory of the season and third straight, a 37-0 route of Walnut Hills on Sept. 29. King connected on four touchdowns through the air, including three to Dylan Hughes, while rushing for a fifth score as Milford kept pace in the chase for the Eastern Cincinnati Conference Championship at 3-0 in league play.

After completing 18 of 22 passes in last week’s win at Loveland, King was almost as efficient in the win at Walnut, connecting on 15 of 22 tosses for 190 yards and the four scores. All Hughes did was catch touchdowns as all three of his grabs, for 85 yards, went for six points. Sam Pickett led all receivers with five catches for 33 yards and hauled in the fourth King touchdown.

Milford (5-1, 3-0 ECC) wasted little time in taking an early 7-0 lead after forcing a Walnut (1-5, 0-3 ECC) punt on the latter’s first drive. Freshman Caleb Johns broke off a couple of big runs to spark the drive, but it was King hooking up with Pickett from 11 yards out that got the Eagles on the scoreboard with just over seven minutes to play in the first.

Click here for the full recap and click here for the final Milford-Walnut Hills game stats.

A LOOK AT THE OPPONENT: A look at Kings, Milford’s 2017 Week 7 opponent:

• Friday, Oct. 6 vs. Kings, 7:00 p.m.
• 2017 Record: 2-4, 1-2 ECC (7^th Division I area coaches’ weekly poll)
• Top Offensive Player: Junior RB Nak’emon Williams (894 yards rushing, 56 yards receiving, 188 kickoff return yards, 11 total TDs)
• Top Defensive Player: Junior DB Hunter Jessee (2 INTs)
• Last Meeting: 2016; Kings 55, Milford 28

THE MATCH-UP: A look at the Milford-Kings match-up by the numbers (per game averages with conference team rankings):

• Milford scoring offense (2^nd-30.5) vs. Kings scoring defense (5^th-28.3)
• Milford total offense (3^rd-313.8) vs. Kings total defense (8^th-381.3)
• Milford rushing offense (8^th-94.8) vs. Kings rushing defense (7^th-207.0)
• Milford passing offense (2^nd-219.0) vs. Kings passing defense (8^th-174.3)
• Kings scoring offense (3^rd-26.3) vs. Milford scoring defense (2^nd-15.7)
• Kings total offense (2^nd-356.3) vs. Milford total defense (4^th-258.0)
• Kings rushing offense (1^st-249.2) vs. Milford rushing defense (2^nd-151.5)
• Kings passing offense (3^rd-107.2) vs. Milford passing defense (5^th-106.5)

INSIDE THE ECC: The race at the top of the ECC standings remains a three-team one, with Anderson, Milford and West Clermont all unbeaten through three weeks of league action. Anderson remains unblemished overall, with Milfoard at 5-1 and West Clermont at 4-2.

The Week 7 ECC schedule includes: Kings at Milford, West Clermont at Anderson, Turpin at Withrow and Walnut Hills at Loveland.

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

Rushing Yards: Cameron Kells (284)

Passing Yards: Blake King (1186)

Receiving Yards: Jake Ayler (351)

Tackles: Bryce Dugan (63)

Sacks: Bryce Dugan/Harley Elsbury (3.0)

Interceptions: Evan Baugh (2), Adam Bartrum (1)

Kickoff Return Yards: Evan Baugh (210)

Punting Average: Robbie McQueary (40.4)

Punt Return Yards: Evan Baugh (193)

POLL WATCH: Despite picking up their fifth win of the year last week at Walnut Hills, the Eagles actually slid one position to No. 9 in the Oct. 2 edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Division I area coaches’ poll. St. Xavier earned all nine first place votes and leads a top-five that includes Colerain, Fairfield, Elder and Lakota East. New ECC member West Clermont is just one position behind Milford.

The ECC also has a strong presence in the Division II rankings with four of the top-10 representing the league. Anderson is the top-ranked ECC squad, coming in second. Kings is seventh this week, followed by Turpin and Loveland, with Withrow also receiving votes. The coaches’ poll is released every Monday at Noon at preps.cincinnati.com/coachespolls.

PLAYOFFS? PLAYOFFS?: The third regular season installment of the OHSAA Computer Ratings which ultimately determines the playoff match-ups across the state have been released. In DI, the top-eight teams in each of Ohio’s four regions will earn a berth in the playoffs. Milford continues to find favor with the computers this week, earning the No. 4 slot in the region. The current top-eight in Region 4 by ranking are: St. Xavier, Fairfield, Colerain, Milford, Moeller, Lakota East, Sycamore and Mason. West Clermont is just outside a qualifying position in ninth.

In the Division II, Region 8 rankings, of which much of the ECC resides, Anderson in third is the only squad among the top-12.

 “SPECIAL” TEAMS: Among the many positives to the start of the 2017 season for the Eagles has been the exception play of its special teams. Milford’s return teams have been game-changing, while the kick block squad has also made an impact. A look at some of the special teams highlights to date by game:

• Oak Hills: blocked two extra point attempts by the Highlanders; Evan Baugh (69 yards) and Dylan Hughes (60 yards) each tallied lengthy kickoff returns that led to Milford touchdowns.
• Dixie Heights: returned two punts for touchdowns; one an 87-yard bolt by Evan Baugh and the second a 39-yard dash by Dustin Loudermilk.
• Turpin: senior Robbie McQueary took over the punting duties for the first time, averaging nearly 40 yards in three punts, including a long of 47.
• Loveland: Evan Baugh continued his heroics returning kicks, totaling 107 yards between four combined kick and punt returns.
• Walnut Hills: Evan Baugh returned punts for 31 and 22 yards, each setting up a touchdown. Meanwhile, Robbie McQueary averaged 43.5 yards per punt, including a season-long of 52 yards.

WHAT A DEBUT: When head coach Tom Grippa arrived in Milford, he did so with a reputation for favoring a high-octane offense and he wasted no time in unleashing it in the opener against Oak Hills. Against the Highlanders, Blake King (295 yards passing) and Jake Ayler (160 yards receiving) posted the best individual performances by a Milford player in those categories in at least a decade. King also did damage with his legs, becoming the first Milford player since Chase Witte last season to score four touchdowns.

TICKET TALK: Once again this season, pre-sale tickets for all ages are available for all home and ECC away games only in the Milford High School Athletic Office for a cost of $5. Please note tickets for all ages at the gate are priced at $7 each. Come out and support the Eagles and save by purchasing your tickets in advance!