Mavericks' balanced attack forces Raiders to walk plank

Huron Valley Milford welcomed the Flushing Raiders for its season opener and proceeded to make them walk the plank.

The Mavericks scored a 42-21 win on Friday, Aug. 24 on a night in which they built up a 35-0 lead thanks in part to impressive performances from senior tailback Daniel Wallace and senior quarterback Alex Larson.

When time expired, Wallace finished with 76 yards rushing and three touchdowns, along with three tackles on defense.

Meanwhile, Larson had 104 yards rushing and completed 8-of-11 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown.

“Larson was pretty good and Daniel is a fine football player and I’m glad he’s ours,” said Milford Head Coach Pat Fox after starting his 10th season with Milford victorious. “I thought the game was a little sluggish early, but we had a balanced offense and we played well defensively.”

The Mavs scored first in the first quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Wallace after Larson completed a 14-yard pass to Thomas Woodrow into the red zone to set up the score.

On Flushing’s next drive that extended into the second quarter, punter Turner Endicott mishandled a snap, giving Milford the ball at the Raiders’ 30-yard line.

Larson then threw a 30-yard touchdown strike to John Bartoluzzi on the very next play.

A 4-yard touchdown run by Wallace with just under 2 minutes left gave the Mavs a 21-0 halftime advantage.

In the third quarter, Wallace’s third touchdown run from 4 yards out put Milford up 28-0.

On the following drive, Flushing quarterback George Hyde fumbled the ball, which Darrion Spencer recovered and returned 35 yards for a touchdown, giving Fox had some breathing room to bring in players off the bench to gain some experience.

Milford’s fifth touchdown came on a 5-yard run by Cameron Bell in the fourth quarter.

Hyde had two touchdown passes from 60 and 35 yards out and a 1-yard touchdown run for the Raiders out of the Saginaw Valley Association.

The Mavs now face the task of traveling to Plymouth tomorrow, Thursday, Aug. 30 to face the Wildcats, the defending champions of the Kensington Lakes Activities Association (KLAA) Kensington Conference who defeated Lansing Sexton, 42-12, in their opening game.

Then Milford will begin its tough KLAA West Division schedule the following week when it hosts the defending division and Lakes Conference champion, Grand Blanc.

“Our schedule is pretty competitive with Plymouth, Grand Blanc, Hartland and Brighton,” Fox said. “Plymouth did a great job in the off-season.”