Trae Taylor made certain Millard South football’s offense took care of business Thursday ahead of next week’s season-finale showdown.
Taylor threw six first-half touchdown passes as the Class A No. 2 Patriots scored on all but two possessions in a 65-0 win over Lincoln East at Buell Stadium.
The Patriots (8-0) host top-ranked Omaha Westside in next Friday’s regular season finale.
“I feel like we have pretty good momentum,” Taylor said. “But obviously, Westside’s a great team, so we’ve got to make sure we study them well and try to handle business next week.”
Taylor completed 20 of his 22 passes for 312 yards and six scores in two-plus quarters of action.
He opened the scoring when he connected with Jesse Johnson for a 14-yard touchdown on a slant route to finish off the opening drive and put Millard South in front.
The Patriots turned the ball over on downs on their next possession when a Spartan tackled Taylor a yard short of the first down, but Jayden Brown doubled the Patriot lead to 14-0 before the offense could get back on the field as he returned a Spartan punt 66-yards for a touchdown. Brown won the race to the near sideline and weaved through traffic to reach the end zone.
Taylor found Grant Scribner for a 1-yard touchdown pass on the next Patriot possession. He rolled out to his right and flipped the pass to Scribner in the end zone.
After a Lincoln East fumble set the Patriots up at the Spartan 25-yard line, Taylor hit Xane Krause on a slant for a 23-yard score to push the Millard South lead to 28-0 one play into the second quarter.
Krause, who also had a 45-yard touchdown catch later in the second quarter, had three catches for 72 yards and two scores.
“To have a quarterback like (Taylor), it just makes my game a lot easier,” Krause said.
Taylor closed out the first half by finding Landon Schneider in the back of the end zone for a 1-yard score that sent the Patriots to halftime with a 42-0 lead.
Eight Patriots had at least one catch, with five making at least three grabs.
Tay Ellis led the receivers with six catches for 112 yards. Johnson added four catches for 96 yards.
“Everybody’s gonna get the ball,” Taylor said of his receiving corps. “It’s just a matter of who gets open and whoever can find the end zone.”
The Patriot defense limited Lincoln East to three first downs and 17 yards of offense in posting its second shut out in three weeks. The Spartans (0-8) punted seven times, fumbled twice and did not run a play in Millard South territory until midway through the fourth quarter.
The Spartans close out the season Friday at Lincoln Southeast.
