Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Comets continue to show offensive punch
MILLS 50, RIVERCREST 34
Senior Jabrae Shaw’s three-touchdown first-half performance led Mills to a 50-34 win over Rivercrest on Friday night at Mills high school.
After scoring a statehigh 58 points last week, the Comets (2-0) continued their high-scoring production into Friday’s first half. The teams were tied at 20-20 after the first quarter before Mills outscored Rivercrest 22-6 in the second quarter for a 42-26 advantage at the half.
Shaw caused Rivercrest (11) problems both as a rusher and receiver. He was responsible for over 70 yards, including a 30-yard reception on Mills’ second offensive play. He also made multiple defensive plays as a safety.
“That guy’s probably the best athlete in the state of Arkansas,” Mills Coach Cortez Lee said. “He just makes every play. Safety or running back, he’s just an incredible player.”
Through the first half, Rivercrest running back Koby Turner was able to keep pace with Shaw and the Comets. The Colts leaned heavily on the run, particularly on early downs, and Turner was the focal point of that attack. He rushed 10 times for 115 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Turner and Shaw alternated the first eight touchdowns scored. They were responsible for all 40 points scored in the first quarter.
“It was kind of nerve-wracking,” Lee said of the six-drive stretch. “As long as we were matching them, it gave us the chance to make the plays and stay in the game”
Daniel Brown provided Mills a second option in the backfield to Shaw. He scored one touchdown — a 41-yard run — and had two called back because of penalties.
That was a common theme for the Comets all night. They created plenty of scoring opportunities but were continually hurt by penalties. The Comets racked up eight in the first quarter alone and 21 for the game.
“I think if we handle our business, we should do well enough,” Lee said. “… We got to shore up those penalties and play a better game.”
Rivercrest found some success early in the second quarter as Micahel Rainer hit Kevin Morris for a 13-yard touchdown. The issue for Rivercrest was that the Mills offense rarely stopped scoring. Two plays later, receiver QJ King took a short pass from quarterback Achilles Ringo 63 yards to give Mills its first lead at 28-26.
The second half was all Mills. The Comets shut out the Colts and the Ringo to King connection added eight more points to their lead.
In the second half, the score got away from Rivercrest
and focused it to lean on the pass. That’s when Mills could rely on its strong defensive front of Charleston Collins, Derrick Murdock and Caleb Sain, among others.
Sain got in front of an attempted screen pass by Rivercrest in the second quarter and returned it for a touchdown to make the score 3426. The interception allowed Mills to extend a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
“At any point in time, the momentum could have swung the other way. But, you know, once we got that stop and we got that interception on that screen, we kind of took off and our energy was up,” Lee said.
King scored his second touchdown to give Mills a 50-24 lead. Rivercrest quarterback Cavonta ran for the fourth quarter’s lone touchdown to make the final score 50-34.
One hundred and eight points are the most a Mills team has scored through its first two games this century. While Lee acknowledged the achievement was impressive, he doesn’t think it’s what is most important to his team.
“It’s a big thing, but I really don’t get caught up in the points,” Lee said. “Our goal is just to be 1-0 after every game. That’s our mantra. That’s what we speak about. It’s always good to have a good showing and execute and when you execute, you get those types of results.”