Has Milford overcome It’s rival in athletics?

On Nov. 8 1974, Milford met Lakeland for the first time ever on the football field. In a low scoring game, Milford won 18-13. Since 1974, Milford has played Lakeland a total of 50 times with Lakeland having the slight advantage 26-24. However, Milford had not beaten Lakeland since 2012. After winning three of its first four games and having an overall record of 4-3, Milford faced Lakeland on Oct. 21. With a 29-7 victory, Milford overcame its 10-year losing streak.

But what does it mean to have a true rivalry? “The tension between the two teams, the overall environment, and feeling you get,” said Senior Cornerback Josh Tobias, who had yet to beat Lakeland in his high school career. Every game is important, but I absolutely want to win against them my Senior year no matter what,” he said.  It’s safe to say Tobias is locked in.

Another player locked in for the big game was Senior defensive-end Justin Gross who described the atmosphere against Lakeland as “crazy-crazy.”

He also believed Milford could overcome the Eagles this year. “This is our year to beat them; they ain’t nothing compared to years past; they’ve lost a lot of guys and haven’t had the best start to their season,” said Gross.

Lakeland had a 3-4 record going into the matchup with Milford. With that being said, there was a lot of confidence in the locker room when it came to their chances against Lakeland in 2022. The Lakeland game was especially crucial as it determined who would advance in the playoffs.

The rivalry is not limited to football, however. Many boys basketball players are also excited for opportunities against their rival this year. The two teams have always seemed to be neck-and -neck. In 2021, they split the season series 1-1 with each team winning when at home. “We have the advantage,” said Senior guard Luke Jaklic. “We beat them last year and our team is even better this year.”

Jaklic isn’t just focused on beating Lakeland, but he also has his eyes on the district championship. “This is our year,” said Senior guard Luke Siterlet. He shares this same ideology that Milford has the advantage in this rivalry. “Our team is a lot better than in years past,” Siterlet said. “We take the Lakeland games very seriously and as much as we might say every game is important, those two games per season mean the most to us.”

Volleyball has been on the up as well. Last season they fought hard and, due in part to a lot of questionable calls, they lost that match three sets to two.

This year they again lost three sets to two but again, some questionable calls cost the mavericks. In the fifth set with the score tied at 13-13, two questionable calls went Lakeland’s way and the Eagles came away with the victory.

“As frustrating as it was to lose to them, we played till the very end,” said Defensive Specialist Josie Duncan. “Our team never let up and made it all the way to the last possible points.”

With this kind of mindset, Milford will for sure be in better shape to overcome this rivalry for years to come.

Overall, looking at the big three sports (football, basketball, baseball) it’s been a tough time for Milford.

Track has been much better than Lakeland with a record of 8-0 last season compared to Lakeland’s 5-3 record.

Girls Basketball has also been very solid with two buzzer beater wins in the past three years against Lakeland.

Milford hockey also finished tied with Lakeland in the end of the year standings last year. It’s safe to say that Milford is definitely on the up when it comes to this rivalry, especially with the support of the fans.