Sailing with Shipps
RB provides 145 rushing yards, TD to spearhead romp
Old Mill’s 14-and-under team played like it appreciated the chance to play football in 2020.
The defending 12-and-under Anne Arundel Youth Football Association American Conference champions stuffed their rivals, the Panthers Athletic Club, 44-8 on a drizzling opening night to the regular season on Northeast High’s field before a scattered crowd of about 250.
Aslew of Old Mill speedsters combined for the team’s resounding victory Friday, but none more than Jayden Shipps, last year’s championship game MVP, who totaled 145 yards on five carries and a touchdown return. Though Shippswouldn’t collect a touchdown in the first half, which set the tone for the Patriots, he set up two of three touchdowns with double-digit-gains on runs.
“He’s vigilant [and] h’s matured so much,” Mill coach Joe Hall said. “The game’s started to slowdown for him.”
Getting the chance to play during a pandemic year in a real football game wasn’t lost on Shipps, who understands what it means to not play. This year, he battled throughaninjury. Andhe’s takena backseat in the past.
“For my whole life, I wasn’t always a starter,” he said. “Iworked hard for it.”
Hall knows his team has far to go before it feels like a complete product. Though it scored on all of its drives, Old Mill stumbled through flags and missed extra points.
“This is a whole new team.,” Hall said. “We’re not really jelling yet.”
And yet they felt grateful. Not every kid has the chance to play football on Fridays, especially in a grand stadium.
“The kids wanted to play Friday night underneath the lights on a high school field,” Hall said.
The Panthers, remembering their 48-0 loss to their rivals in the 2019 AAYFA playoffs, couldn’t muster the gas needed to propel past the returning champs. Their first-half drives took up residence never more than 25 yards outside midfield, snuffed out by the Old Mill defense at every turn.
Though it’d stopped raining by game’s start, Shipps moved like water on the field. On his carry in the red-clad squad’s first drive, Shipps churned up 20 yards to place teammate Savion Witherspoon in perfect position to score a 23-yard touchdown. A failed extra-point attempt put Old Mill up 6-0.
Then after a fruitless Panthers series to open the second quarter, Cole Floyd slipped through Panthers defense to swallowup 40 yards and reach the end zone. Teammate TariqHayeswould do the same on a14-yard run just one drive later, sliding up the left side.
“A special shoutout to Cole Floyd,” Hall said. “He’s a playmaker. Different kind of player right there.”
But Floyd only got the chance thanks to Shipps, who doubled his first-quarter showing with a 44-yard run.
Itwasn’t until the second half that Shipps finally got his turn to put a score on the board.
“It’s teamwork,” Shipps said. “I’m cool with setting it up because if the team scores, I’m happy. I’m proud of my teammates scoring. I set them up, no problem.”
It was another Old Mill player, Elijah Pedro, who posted big yardage this time, a 40-yard rush that put the leading squad just 8 yards out.
Three turns at the line of scrimmage turned into yardage losses and flags. It looked as if Old Mill might’ve trashed another attempt to score.
And then Shipps found away, charging 8 yards to claim his first touchdown and put Old Mill up 24-0 in the third.
Shipps, who’s eyeing his high school career, credited thework he put on himself in the offseason.
“To be honest, I did a lot of lifting,” he said. “Last year, I was much smaller and it was easy to bring me down. Now I’ve been working a lot.”
ThePanthershadmainly operatedonthe ground to this point, with little success. It was as good a time as any to try the air.
Quarterback Keller Herzberger picked up yardage on two completions to Will Jacobs, but it would be Gordon Harris Jr. with whom Herzberger connected for a score. A 30-yard spiral found its way into the end-zone. Asuccessful conversion later, the blue squad had reduced its deficit to 24-7.
It didn’t last, however.
Just minutes later on the opening kick, Shipps burned through the Panthers from one side of the 50-yard line to the other, putting about 70 yards behindhimto return the touchdown.
By fourth quarter, the Panthers showed little life compared to what they had shown on their scoring drive. In that subdued climate, Old Mill keep eating.
Floyd, as hungry as he was on his first double- digit-yardage touchdown run, raced another 20 yards to collect the Patriots’ second-to-last touchdown of the night.
The lastwould come as none had before. Zion Lowder rolled into the end zone and caught the first passing touchdown for Old Mill on the night.
“I don’t want them to be a onedimensional team,” Hall said. “I want them to get ready for high school.”