MILFORD — Two years ago, history was made in Milford. For the first time since the 1997 season, the Bearcats qualified for the Illinois High School Association football playoffs.

Despite making an early exit, simply playing in Week 10 and having back-to-back winning seasons revived an otherwise depressed football program that had suffered through a 10-year postseason absence.

It was also Nate Albaugh’s second season as head coach. But with his quick success came new opportunities. He soon found himself taking over a struggling Class 7A Alton High School football program, and with his departure came yet another disappointing 1-8 season in Milford.

Now, there’s reason for the renewed excitement in the Bearcats’ huddle. Albaugh is back at the helm, and with his return, there is once again talk of a revival.

“I was so excited to hear that coach Albaugh was coming back,” senior lineman Logan Edris said. “I love how he just comes in and he knows exactly what he’s going to do. He has every second of every practice planned out, and he makes you work as hard as you can as long as you can.

“You might say, ‘I’m tired, I’m this.’ He knows when you have an injury and he knows when you are just tired. When you’re at that 99 percent, he pushes you to that 110 percent.”

In his first two years as head coach, Albaugh led the Bearcats to 12 wins including an impressive 2009 season that saw Milford/Cissna Park finish with a 7-3 record, the program’s first playoff berth in 12 years, and a share of the Vermilion Valley Conference title.

Prior to Albaugh’s arrival, Milford had managed only 13 wins in the previous seven seasons.

While rehiring Albaugh might have been an easy decision for the Milford administration, it was ultimately economic circumstances that helped bring him back to the area.

“It was pretty simple,” Albaugh said. “We weren’t able to stay away because our house never sold. It really was strictly a family decision that we couldn’t afford to stay away and own two places. So, we came back and once the Milford job opened up, I was anxious to apply because I enjoyed it here.

“This year so far has been no different,” he continued. “We have great kids, a great coaching staff. Coach (Clint) Swartz has stuck around. He has been fantastic. (He has) great energy and loves the game. We’re very fortunate to have him. We have a great coaching staff. I think because of that, we may have a chance to compete.”

And one of the reasons he believes the Bearcats have a chance is an experienced offensive line consisting of five seniors including Edris, Brandon Davis, Travis McKay, Jake McCann, and Aaron Virklan.

“We’ve got some pretty good guys on the line,” Edris said. “This is our sixth year (together). We did Titans Youth League. Most of these guys on the line I have worked with for six years. They are all just crazy beasts out there. I love working with them, and I think that we’ve got a pretty good line this year.”

Reaping the benefits of a strong core will be Alex Rabe and Eron Marquez who expect to get the bulk of the carries, and Beau Anderson and Josh Marquez who are currently in competition to be the team’s starting quarterback.

“Eron Marquez just said to me the other day, ‘Are you guys going to get me a lot of touchdowns this year?’” Edris said. “I said, ‘Yes, as long as you go to the newspapers and tell them that the O-line helped you out.’ He said, ‘I definitely will.’

“The offensive line, they don’t get a lot of credit, and I don’t think we really need a lot of credit. I think we just love going out and doing what we’re doing. We do our job and we love doing it.”

Eron Marquez was one of a handful of players Milford inherited when it started its football co-op with Cissna Park in 2008.

The senior fullback only experienced one season playing for Albaugh, but it was a memorable one full of success he hopes to replicate this year.

“That was a great time,” Eron Marquez said of his sophomore season. “That whole season was awesome. Football was really fun and everybody was getting along really good. I really want to get back to that and have a really great season. It would be awesome to end my senior year on that.”

The Bearcats open the 2011 season at home on Friday against East Central before traveling September 2 to face Arthur-Lovington. MCP will open its VVC schedule September 9 at home against Bismarck-Henning.