Scarlet Hawks improve to 4-0 vs. Taunton

By Chris Villani 

In a game featuring two stellar offensive efforts, a defensive stop led Milford to finish its season with a 42-41 win over Taunton in the fourth installment of the two schools’ fledgling Thanksgiving rivalry.

After the Tigers scored to pull within a point in the game’s final seconds, the Scarlet Hawks forced an incomplete pass on the two-point conversion bid to earn the one-point victory.

“I was proud of the kids,” MHS coach Dale Olson said. “They scored in the end and we knew they were going to go for two. We got just enough pressure on the QB that he overthrew a kid who was open and we won the game.”

The final play was the product of some strategizing by Olson and the rest of the coaching staff. Taunton had the ball inside the one with time running down. Milford had a time out and considered letting the Tigers score to preserve time on the clock. Instead of worrying about the potential game-tying touchdown, Milford’s coaches called a play to successfully defend the two-point try and seal the victory in a game played on Thanksgiving Eve due to the impending bad weather on Thursday.

MHS quarterback Jack Buckley earned offensive MVP honors with four touchdown passes. Each team returned a kickoff for a touchdown, with Jason Stokes’ 80-yard return accounting for Milford’s first score of the game. In the end, neither team punted the ball once.

Olson said several of his players stood out not only against Taunton, but throughout the season, including Buckley, Stokes, Thomas Sousa, Andrew Rivera, Daniel Carvalho, and Ryan Burns, among others.

“Those kids played really well down the stretch and gave us an opportunity,” Olson said. “They all played their part.”

Despite a 5-6 record, Milford came within a few plays of earning a fourth straight trip to the state’s final four. The Scarlet Hawks beat Masconomet in the first round of the playoffs before falling to Reading by three. Four of Milford’s losses this season came by a total of 12 points.

“We played a lot of Division 1 teams, some really good teams that went to the playoffs,” Olson noted. “It was great for the seniors though to go out with a win.”

Milford also made the most of having barely 30 players on the roster this fall.

“I am proud of the kids,” Olson said. “They gave me everything they had.”