By Tim Mastro

MILFORD — Calif Spencer was expecting to see an increase in carries Thursday night.

Lake Forest High was down one backfield runner due to an injury. So Spencer shifted from halfback to fullback.

Twenty-five carries later Spencer was celebrating a career day and the Spartans were carrying the “Battle of the Bell” trophy back home.

Spencer rushed for three touchdowns to lead Lake Forest to a 28-18 victory at Milford High in a 2A District III matchup. It is the third time in the last four years the Spartans have captured the bell.

“The bell is important, they talk to us every year about it,” Spencer said. “It’s a good feeling. It’s big. Everybody was doubting us all year long. Me and my guys, we put in work all summer, we’ve been waiting for this game and we did what we knew we could do.”

Spencer accumulated 116 yards on his 25 carries, averaging 4.64 yards per carry.

“He was our workhouse,” said Lake Forest coach Freddie Johnson. “He carried the load.”

Spencer and Milford running back Aaron Sivels spent the first half of the contest exchanging touchdowns.

Sivels got the scoring started with a 95-yard run down the sideline to put Milford on top 6-0 with 7:13 left in the first quarter. Spencer responded with a 13-yard touchdown to tie.

Jalen Morris then helped set up another Spencer touchdown with a 68-yard interception return. Spencer plowed into the end zone a few plays later with a 2-yard run with 11:06 remaining in the second quarter.

Spencer was at it again less than a minute later after Miles Coates recovered a fumble for the Spartans off a bobble in the Milford backfield. Spencer needed one play for a 6-yard touchdown as Lake Forest (2-0) extended its lead to 20-6 thanks to a two-point conversion by Spencer.

Spencer credited his offensive line of Bryce Coker, Joe Mercer, Devin Clay, Ke’Andre Scott and Landen Hester for his big day.

“All credit to them, I can only go as far as they let me,” he said.

Sivels made it a one-possession game for Milford (2-1) before halftime with a 19-yard touchdown. Lake Forest extended its 20-12 halftime lead to 28-12 thanks to a 30-yard rushing touchdown by Ayden Young in the third quarter and a two-point conversion pass from Jonathan Tyndall to Jaymeire Snell.

Milford closed to within 10 points when Sivels rushed down to the Lake Forest one-yard line to set up a QB sneak by Shawn Saxon for a score. But the Buccaneers failed on the two-point conversion which would have cut it to a one-possession game again.

Milford had one late rally left as Jordan Norman picked off a pass near midfield with 7:32 left. The Buccaneers drove inside the Lake Forest 10 before they could not convert on fourth-and-goal as Lake Forest’s Trevon Hodnett batted a pass down to force a turnover own downs, meaning the bell will spend one year at Lake Forest.

“So many people come out for this game, even if you play it on a Monday, Tuesday or a Wednesday people are going to show up,” Johnson said. “We always get alumni to talk to the team about the importance of the bell and what it means to them. In both these communities, that bell means a lot.”