HIGHLAND — It didn’t turn out to be the kind of night the football team had been hoping for against Milford.
Coming off last week’s 20-13 loss to Howell, the Eagles were aiming to cut down on their mistakes and improve their overall performance.
However, it was mistakes that hurt Hartland again as the Mavericks capitalized on five turnovers by the Eagles to come away with a 24-14 win.
“Mistakes, human error,” said Hartland senior captain Brad Maschke. “We made too many mistakes to adjust.
“But I can’t come back and change what happened here. I can cry about it or I can work hard and come out ready for next week.”
Milford was guilty of plenty of penalties and three turnovers, but the Eagles struggled to turn the miscues into points.
“It was sloppy on both sides with that many turnovers and penalties,” Hartland coach Marcus Dukes said. “We had opportunities, but we didn’t capitalize.
“The last four games, we’ve been right in there every game,” he added. “The key in my mind in a situation like this, is that you buckle down. You continue to work hard and show your character. Our kids do that and it’s a testament to them and their parents and how they were raised.”
Trailing 17-6 late in the third quarter, Hartland drove 60 yards in eight plays and senior quarterback Stephen Milarch scored on a two-yard touchdown run. The Eagles went for a two-point conversion and scored on a pitch to senior Travis Spears, cutting the deficit to 17-14.
After forcing Milford to punt from its own 29-yard line, the Eagles drove down to the 37, but Milarch was intercepted and the Mavericks took back over at their own 23.
In seven plays, Milford was on the Hartland 36 and Brandon Wallace found the end zone on a second-down run.
“On that last drive, when they marched down the field, as a defense we’ve got to get a stop,” Dukes said. “We need to get the ball back to the offense and give it a chance to score.”
The loss drops the Eagles to 1-3 overall and 0-2 in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West Division.
Next week, the Eagles will travel to Pinckney to face the Pirates, who earned their first win of the season Friday night in a 37-21 win over Howell.
