Patience and persistence paying off for Garfrey Smith’s Milford team
It’s been nearly a decade since the Milford football program had reason to celebrate.
Starting in 2013, the Mavericks started a streak of eight consecutive seasons with two wins or less. During those eight seasons, Milford won just a combined 10 games.
The program tried different coaches and different styles of play, but hope was beginning to seem lost.
Garfrey Smith took over the team in 2018 with a belief that he could find a way to get the Mavericks on track.
Through his first three years, it didn’t look good. Smith had a 3-22 record, which would be reason enough for his players to lose faith in him.
But that didn’t happen.
Milford continued to keep its head down and work toward the goal Smith had for the program.
This season, Milford has been one of the great surprise teams in the state. Last week, the Mavericks defeated Walled Lake Central to secure a third win for the first time since 2012.
On Friday, Milford earned its biggest win in over a decade when it defeated Walled Lake Western in dramatic fashion, 18-15, by scoring two touchdowns in the final minute of play. The win makes the Mavericks 4-1 for the first time since 2010.
“I am not going to lie, being 3-22 as a head coach heading into your fourth year is tough. I was on the hot seat. You feel like you might lose some of the players, some of the parents and some of the fans. But, our community has been great and we had 100 kids out for football throughout the program. My AD and principal have been behind my back since the start. They have believed in me and now they are seeing their trust in me pay off,” Smith said after Friday’s win.
“It took us a few years to establish a culture. We started one brick at a time. We never looked away from our ultimate goal even when things were tough. Right now, we are seeing that persistence pay off.”
One of the big reasons for this year’s improvement is in the offense. Milford was held to just 45 points over seven games last season, but already has scored 108 through five this season.
“Our new offensive coordinator, Andrew Micovich has really turned our offense around,” Smith said. “We couldn’t score a point last year and Andrew came in and really was dedicated to getting things changed.”
Leading the offense is senior quarterback Billy Sternberg. The dual-threat QB threw for three touchdowns in Friday’s win over Western and showed great poise in pressure situations.
“Billy continues to come up big for us. He’s a great athlete and we feel confident when the ball is in his hands,” Smith said. “He’s a true leader and he showed that tonight.”
Sternberg is one of 19 seniors on this Milford roster that has persevered through a lot of disappointing Friday nights.
“It’s the heart on this team,” Sternberg said of why this year is different for Milford. “This is the best team I’ve ever been a part of. Everybody works so hard for the same goal and we believe in one another.”
Along with the improved offense, Milford’s defense has proven to be very competitive. Outside of a rough night at the office against unbeaten South Lyon in Week 2, the Mavericks have held their other four opponents to an average of 15.5 points per game.
On Friday, Milford’s defense didn’t allow a single touchdown to the explosive Walled Lake Western offense, as the Warriors scored on defense and special teams.
“Western has a lot of good players and we knew they could quickly change the game, but our defensive coordinator Matt Wasnich was really confident in our gameplan and in the kids. He knew they’d be ready and they were,” Smith said.
Milford was going to take a day to enjoy its first-ever win over Western, but the Mavericks still have their sights set on more.
Aside from last year where every team made the playoffs, Milford hasn’t qualified for the postseason since 2011. The Mavericks’ last playoff victory was in 2006.
“Four wins is great, but we are far from being done,” Smith said. “This team is capable of much more and we are going to keep working to accomplish more. (Friday) was a great win, but we have plenty of work to still do.”