Alvirne football knocks off Milford in D2 quarterfinals

MILFORD - The Alvirne High School football upset Milford, 20-7, on the road in the Division II quarterfinals.

The Broncos built a strong game plan and dominated in all phases of the game. Led by junior quarterback Kyle Gora, the No. 7 Broncos were too much to handle for the No. 2 Spartans.

After Milford (8-2) beat Alvirne (7-3) in overtime in the final game of the regular season last week, the Broncos established the tempo immediately by trying and recovering an onside kick on the opening kickoff.

That set the Broncos offense up at midfield to begin the game. Gora established a strong connection with his tall and reliable receiver Kyle Boucher. For much of the game, Boucher used his height to bully the Milford defensive backs.

With seemingly no one available to match his size, Boucher made a strong impact in key situations.

The first score of the game came on the first Gora-to-Boucher connection. Gora tossed a jump ball up to Boucher who came down with the ball over two Spartans defenders. A missed extra point would give the Broncos the early 6-0 lead.

Later in the half, on a fourth and 20, Gora would connect with Boucher again for a touchdown. This time, Boucher came down with the ball over three Milford defenders.

The Spartans tried to match the Alvirne offensive production, but could not get going early, as the Milford offense was plagued by turnovers.

With three fumbles in the first half, and another two in the second, the Spartans would end their own drives before being able to establish any rhythm. Just before the end of the first half, the Broncos delivered the final crushing blow to Milford’s playoff hopes.

On fourth and 5, another crucial defensive down, Gora connected with Grady Hudson out of the backfield and into the end zone on a 50-yard touchdown pass. This bumped the Bronco lead to 20-0 heading into halftime.

Milford was able to score late in the third quarter, when its always reliable quarterback Gavin Urda was able to scramble into the end zone for the touchdown. This cut the lead to 20-7. Milford would attempt a comeback late in the fourth quarter but was stopped again on a crucial lost fumble that would seal the Spartans' fate.

The Broncos will be on the road again on Nov. 16 for the semifinals, as they will head to No. 6 Plymouth in a rematch of last year's D2 championship game. In the other semifinal, No. 1 Bow will face No. 5 Hollis Brookline.