Petty, Robinson defense turn back Mills in battle of unbeatens

Joe T. Robinson 34, Mills 7

LITTLE ROCK — Trey Petty rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another as Joe T. Robinson defeated Mills 34-7 Friday night at Charlie George Stadium in a matchup of unbeaten 5A-Central teams.

The Senators led 10-0 at halftime, stopped a third-quarter red-zone possession and scored three second-half touchdowns to pull away. Robinson improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in conference; Mills fell to 4-1 and 1-1.

Petty carried a larger share of the offense while Dallas Bledsoe moved in and out of the lineup after leaving the opening kickoff favoring his leg. Petty also helped extend a first-half drive with a fake-punt conversion and made a key third-down tackle after halftime.

Mills initially kept Robinson’s running game in check. Lawrence Lawson stopped a Braylyn Brown jet sweep, and the Comets forced an incomplete pass on third down. William Tait’s field goal gave the Senators a 3-0 first-quarter lead.

Emarion Morehead later stopped Bledsoe on third down to force a punt. Tait responded with a 50-yard kick that rolled to Mills’ 11. Zach Compton and Rae Parsons helped push the Comets farther back on their next possession, and Robinson regained the ball after another punt.

Petty’s fake-punt run kept the ensuing drive alive near midfield. Reece Simpson then found Larry Scruggs for a gain to the 17. Petty handled the work near the goal line, taking direct snaps and eventually scoring from two yards. Tait’s extra point made it 10-0 early in the second quarter.

Alan Hall nearly answered on the kickoff, but Demetrius Battle chased him down near the 10. Robinson’s defense held from there. Jaiden Todd and Fisher Taylor helped stop the runs, while Aaron Freeman covered a third-down pass and joined Kyrin Grimes on the fourth-down coverage. Mills left without points.

The Senators forced another turnover on downs later in the half. Grimes caught a long pass in the closing seconds to put Robinson in kicking range, but Tait missed the attempt and the halftime margin remained 10 points.

Mills opened the third quarter with another sustained drive, led by Zamarion McDonald’s rushing. Chandler Wood made a tackle behind the line, Petty stopped Kenneth Gilcreast on third down, and Matthew Moka finished the fourth-down tackle on McDonald. Robinson again kept the Comets off the scoreboard.

Simpson subsequently found Freeman, who turned the corner behind Brown’s downfield block and scored. Tait’s kick made it 17-0. Petty added his second rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter, extending the lead to 24-0.

After Robinson recovered a fumble on Mills’ next possession, Petty threw from the Wildcat formation to Eli Stogsdill for another touchdown. The Senators led 31-0 before Gilcreast connected with Ja’Meion Reese for an 80-yard score. Harim Vasquez added the extra point.

Robinson answered by working downfield and using the clock. Tait’s second field goal completed the scoring, giving him 10 points on two field goals and four extra points.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

Joe T. Robinson — William Tait field goal, Joe T. Robinson 3, Mills 0.

2nd Quarter

Joe T. Robinson — Trey Petty two-yard run (Tait kick), Joe T. Robinson 10, Mills 0.

3rd Quarter

Joe T. Robinson — Aaron Freeman touchdown pass from Reece Simpson (Tait kick), Joe T. Robinson 17, Mills 0.

4th Quarter

Joe T. Robinson — Petty touchdown run (Tait kick), Joe T. Robinson 24, Mills 0.

Joe T. Robinson — Eli Stogsdill touchdown pass from Petty (Tait kick), Joe T. Robinson 31, Mills 0.

Mills — Ja’Meion Reese 80-yard pass from Kenneth Gilcreast (Harim Vasquez kick), Joe T. Robinson 31, Mills 7.

Joe T. Robinson — Tait field goal, Joe T. Robinson 34, Mills 7.

Players Who Stood Out

Trey Petty, Joe T. Robinson — Ran for two touchdowns, threw a touchdown pass to Eli Stogsdill and converted a fake punt. Made a third-down tackle on Mills’ opening third-quarter possession.

Aaron Freeman, Joe T. Robinson — Scored on a reception from Reece Simpson. Defended a third-down pass near the goal line and helped on fourth-down coverage during a second-quarter stand.

William Tait, Joe T. Robinson — Made two field goals and all four extra points for 10 points. Added a 50-yard punt to Mills’ 11.

Braylyn Brown, Joe T. Robinson — Supplied the downfield block that helped Freeman complete his third-quarter touchdown reception.

Matthew Moka, Joe T. Robinson — Made the fourth-down tackle that stopped Zamarion McDonald short of the first-down marker in the third quarter.

Chandler Wood, Joe T. Robinson — Tackled Kenneth Gilcreast behind the line during the same third-quarter red-zone stand.

Demetrius Battle, Joe T. Robinson — Chased down Alan Hall’s long kickoff return near the 10, allowing the defense to make a goal-line-area stand.

Ja’Meion Reese, Mills — Caught an 80-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass.

Kenneth Gilcreast, Mills — Threw the 80-yard touchdown pass to Reese and helped drive Mills into the red zone after halftime.

Emarion Morehead, Mills — Made a third-down stop on Dallas Bledsoe in the first quarter and a late tackle for loss on Petty.

Lawrence Lawson, Mills — Stopped Brown’s first-quarter jet sweep, helping hold Robinson to a field goal on its opening possession.