Bedford takes advantage of Milford mistakes, cruises to win

BEDFORD – The Bedford High School football team went into Friday’s game against Milford feeling that it had something to prove.

After blowout wins over teams at the bottom of the Division III standings, the Bulldogs viewed their matchup with the Spartans as their opportunity to make a statement.

Bedford did just that, taking advantage of every chance it had in the first half and cruised to a 49-6 win over the Spartans.

“I think we made a statement that we are contending legitimately for the playoffs,” Bedford coach Kurt Hines said. “I think going into tonight, a lot of people said we were one of six (teams) in the hunt. I believe we’re one of the top three.”

The Bulldogs (4-1 in division, 4-2 overall) turned two turnovers into touchdowns, returned a punt for a touchdown, won the field position battle and capitalized on every mistake Milford made in the first 24 minutes.

“It was big plays,” Milford coach Keith Jones said. “We don’t field a kick return. The field position. The pick-six. The missed tackle on the hitch for a touchdown. What can you do? You can’t beat people like that. They obviously earned everything, but we can’t beat anybody playing like that, with that list of debaclenes.”

Bedford held the advantage in offensive yardage, 209-138, but the Bulldogs  returned a punt 75 yards for a score, brought back an interception 15 yards for another touchdown, recovered a fumble at the Milford 1-yard line and got the ball at the Spartans’ 30 after a kickoff took a funny bounce and Milford failed to fall on it.

The Bulldogs average starting field position in the first half was the Milford 41-yard line.

“The score was not indicative of the game,” Hines said. “We did dominate, but we had some big plays.”

The big plays started the first time a Bedford player touched the ball.

After Milford was forced to punt on the game’s opening drive, Bedford’s Mike Gardiner fielded the ball at his own 25 and raced down the sideline to put the Bulldogs up 7-0 with 8:49 left in the first quarter.

But the Spartans (2-2, 3-3) answered right back. On third down, Bud Theriault hit Joe Albina with a short pass in the flat. Bedford missed a tackle and Albina got a nice block from Ben Smith, springing the back for a 56-yard catch-and-run touchdown. Milford missed the extra point and trailed 7-6 with 7:13 left in the first.

A short kickoff and nice return by Jordan Garron, who left the game in the first half with an ankle injury and did not return, gave Bedford the ball at its own 42. Ten plays later, Garron ran it in from 2 yards out for a 14-6 lead.

On Milford’s next possession, Jack Terzian stepped in front of a Theriault pass and returned the interception 15 yards for another touchdown and a 21-6 lead.

“We opened the game letting up a punt return for a touchdown and then the laundry list of foolish things after that,” Jones said. “The field position was ridiculous. Our special teams were, I mean, I don’t know.”

The score was the same when Milford finally pushed Bedford back to its own 39, but on the first play of the drive, James Caparell hit Brian Collins on a short pass. Collins slipped a tackle and raced 61 yards to the end zone.

On the ensuing kickoff, the ball bounced well short of Milford’s returners and hopped back toward the Bulldogs. Joe Thibeault recovered to it at the Spartans’ 30, and Caparell scored from the 1 six plays later for a 35-6 Bedford lead.