Gilcreast’s Four Touchdowns, Two Defensive Scores Lift Mills
Mills 52, Blytheville 0
BLYTHEVILLE — Quarterback Kenneth “KJ” Gilcreast threw three touchdown passes and ran for another as Mills defeated Blytheville 52–0 Friday at Chickasaw Stadium.
Maddox Parker caught a touchdown pass and returned an interception for a score. Cordae Ratliff added a fumble-return touchdown and a sack as the Comets improved to 3–0.
Mills forced a three-and-out on Blytheville’s opening possession. Gilcreast opened the scoring with a screen pass to Ja’Meion Reese. Parker followed with a touchdown on a slant after Mills converted fourth down inside the 5-yard line.
Defensive lineman Emarion Morehead stripped a Blytheville runner, setting up Gilcreast’s touchdown run with 3:59 remaining in the first quarter. Trenton Cobb then sacked quarterback Chad Bell and forced a fumble that Ratliff returned for a touchdown. Cobb’s strip-sack came on fourth down and six. Mills led 27–0 with 1:23 left in the period.
Treyvon Orr moved Blytheville to the Mills 31 with a run before the quarter ended. Ratliff’s second-quarter sack preceded DaKing Warren’s interception of a deflected pass.
Blytheville held Mills scoreless in the second quarter. James Riley sacked Gilcreast on a possession that ended with a punt. Running back Amare Ecton added a first-down run, and Shamarion Stokes caught a tipped pass during a drive into Mills territory. The Comets ended that possession with a fourth-down stop.
Warren caught Gilcreast’s third touchdown pass with 10:10 left in the third. The score made it 33–0 after Blytheville stopped the two-point run.
Sa’Ryan Washington recovered a fumble on Blytheville’s next possession. Bryshun Cunningham followed with a touchdown run, extending the lead to 39–0 and starting the running clock.
Zamarion McDonald scored on Mills’ first offensive play of the fourth quarter, staying in bounds along the sideline. Parker finished the scoring by intercepting a pass from Kayden Smith and returning it for a touchdown.
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
- Mills – Ja’Meion Reese screen pass from KJ Gilcreast (conversion failed), Mills 6–0.
- Mills – Maddox Parker slant pass from Gilcreast (kick good), Mills 13–0.
- Mills – Gilcreast touchdown run (kick good), Mills 20–0, 3:59.
- Mills – Cordae Ratliff fumble return following Trenton Cobb’s strip-sack (kick good), Mills 27–0, 1:23.
2nd Quarter
No scoring. Mills led 27–0 at halftime.
3rd Quarter
- Mills – DaKing Warren touchdown pass from Gilcreast (two-point run stopped), Mills 33–0, 10:10.
- Mills – Bryshun Cunningham touchdown run (kick failed), Mills 39–0.
4th Quarter
- Mills – Zamarion McDonald touchdown run (kick failed), Mills 45–0.
- Mills – Parker interception return (kick good), Mills 52–0.
Players of the Game
- Kenneth “KJ” Gilcreast, Mills, QB: Three touchdown passes—to Reese, Parker and Warren—and one rushing touchdown.
- Maddox Parker, Mills: Two touchdowns: one receiving and one on an interception return.
- Cordae Ratliff, Mills, LB: Returned a fumble for a first-quarter touchdown and recorded a second-quarter sack.
- DaKing Warren, Mills, DB/WR: Intercepted a second-quarter pass and caught a third-quarter touchdown pass.
- James Riley, Blytheville, DE: Recorded a second-quarter sack on a Mills possession that ended with a punt.