Shaw lifts Comets with four-TD feat

MILLS 60, CENTRAL ARK. CHRISTIAN 16

The routine for the Mills Comets includes big plays and little else.

Junior running back Jabrae Shaw led with the way for Mills with four first-half touchdowns in its 60-16 victory over the Central Arkansas Christian Mustangs at Comet Stadium in Little Rock on Friday night.

With its victory, Mills (5-0, 2-0 4A-2) has won as many games this season as it did in its previous three combined, but Mills Coach Cortez Lee said his team’s only goal is to win the day at hand.

“We want to always go 1-0 each day,” Lee said. “I just try to stay even keel. Let’s win today. Don’t try to win next week. Don’t try to win two weeks from now. Every day, we just want to be 1-0. Just win that day.”

Shaw rushed for 115 yards and 3 touchdowns on 9 carries. He also scored on a first-half interception return.

“He’s a big-play guy,” Lee said. “He’s probably going to be our impact player of the week.”

CAC had three first-half turnovers. Each led to touchdowns for Mills.

“We knew they were going to be explosive on offense, and that we were going to have to match them scoring” CAC Coach Tommy Shoemaker said. “Our turnovers in the first, part of it was bad play calls at the wrong time. Part of it was bad execution on our part, but regardless, we couldn’t come in here and turn the ball over three times in the first half.”

Mills opened the game’s scoring with Shaw’s 14-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter.

An interception returned 40 yards for a touchdown by senior defensive back Cauy Blevins put CAC (2-3, 0-2) even with Mills early the second quarter.

Shaw’s 39-yard touchdown run gave Mills a 16-8 lead on its next possession. His third of four first-half touchdowns, a 38-yard run, put Mills’ lead at 24-8 with 5:29 left in the second quarter.

Shaw’s fourth touchdown, a 70-yard interception return two minutes later, gave Mills a 32-8 lead.

“That interception was heroic,” Lee said. “I haven’t seen anything like that in a long time, and I’ve been coaching for years.”

CAC senior quarterback Tyler Williams scored on a 47yard keeper to cut Mills’ lead to 32-16 with 3:35 left in the first half, but Mills again responded quickly.

With 14 seconds left in the half, sophomore quarterback Achilles Ringo kept for a 2-yard touchdown run to stretch Mills’ lead to 38-16.

A 1-yard sneak by Ringo completed Mill’s first possession of the second half to give it a 46-16 lead with 10:51 left in the third quarter.

Ringo rushed 6 times of 69 yards and 1 touchdown. He also completed 5 of 9 passes for 131 yards.

Williams rushed for 121 yards on 19 carries. He completed 6 of 11 passes for 51 yards.

Mills junior running back Daniel Brown Jr., who recently returned from a high-ankle sprain, had two 58-yard touchdown runs called back for holding penalties in the second quarter. His 6-yard touchdown with run 6:10 left in the third quarter stood, giving Mills a 52-16 lead.

Brown also scored on a 40yard run with 34 seconds left in the third quarter to finish the scoring for Mills.

“We’ve been pulling for him to get back and get better and be successful,” Lee said. “He’s definitely a big-play guy.”