After a 5-4 regular season that saw the Milford Mavericks end the season on back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in over a decade, second-year head coach Andrew Micovich will look to make it back to the playoffs.
For Milford, they return 12 starters, with three other players who saw a lot of playing time last season that Micovich said could be looked at as starters. Of the returners, Senior Lineman Wyatt Lesnew will anchor spots on both the offense and defense; they also return Running Back Peyton Chamberlain, who ran for over 600 yards and four touchdowns while adding just under 200 yards and two more touchdowns as a Junior.
Also returning for his Senior year is Quarterback Ryan Allen. As a Junior, Allen threw for 1,461 yards and nine touchdowns. He added another 16 touchdowns and 810 yards on the ground for the Mavericks. Micovich said that Allen was banged up early last year, so his main focus for his Quarterback this season was his health. He would say, “he bulked up about 25 pounds over the offseason and gained more strength,” according to Micovich. While he gained weight, he was able to slim down this year and looks faster, according to his coach.
As for some battles, Micovich said that there are battles along the line on both offense and defense, saying, “We have eight people who could start on the offensive line,” he would go on to say, “We play an odd front, so they will need to compete every day to earn their spot.” Being deep for Milford will help them as they get deep in the season. As Micovich put it, any of the competing guys could start and give them a chance to win a game.
Milford opens the season at Waterford Kettering on August 24 at 7 pm before returning home on August 31 to play South Lyon East.