Millard South’s football team quickly put to rest any concerns about whether they would suffer a letdown after having their 20-game winning streak snapped, according to local sports reporting. Facing Lincoln Standing Bear in the first round of the Class A playoffs at Buell Stadium, the No. 2 seed Patriots scored on every single one of their first eight possessions to secure a dominant 56-7 victory.
A Complete Offensive Masterclass at Buell Stadium
The numbers from Friday night underline just how thorough the bounce-back effort was. According to game recaps, Millard South racked up 542 yards of total offense while holding the No. 15 seed Grizzlies to just 47 total yards, which included negative 15 rushing yards.
Quarterback Trae Taylor orchestrated the onslaught with precision. The Nebraska commit completed 16 of his 18 pass attempts—good for an 88.9% completion rate—while throwing for 363 yards and four touchdowns. He also added 70 rushing yards and another score on just seven carries, continuing a season-long trend of massive statistical outings.
Trae Taylor lost his defender 😳Millard South rolls past Lincoln Standing Bear 56-7 in the first round. pic.twitter.com/VZlygQqzuL
MaxPreps notes that the Patriots are certainly no strangers to lopsided scores, having already secured five wins by 32 points or more this season. Yet this playoff opener carried extra weight following a 41-17 defeat to Omaha Westside just a week prior.
“Last week we didn’t execute the way we wanted to. Just to be able to come out and put points on the board just felt good,” Patriot tight end Carter Margheim said.
Spreading the Wealth Through the Air and Ground
Millard South wasted no time establishing dominance. On the very first possession, Taylor caught Lincoln Standing Bear off guard.
Millard South rolls past Lincoln Standing Bear 56-7 to send the Patriots to the quarterfinals. 🏈Trae Taylor accounts for 353 passing yards and four TDs in the win over the Grizzlies. pic.twitter.com/KkSgaapwwc
“Trae ended up audibling the play, and it got me open on the slant route and I saw nothing but green grass and took it for a touchdown,” Margheim recalled of his 58-yard catch-and-run.
Six of the Patriots’ touchdown drives required four plays or fewer. Taylor connected with Landon Schneider on a 49-yard play-action score, hit Tay Ellis for a 63-yard bomb on the opening play of the second quarter, and launched a 75-yard strike to Xane Krause to kick off the third quarter. Krause finished the night with 112 receiving yards and a score, while Ellis added 98 yards on six receptions.
Before the first half expired, Taylor capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive by scrambling to his right, narrowly avoiding a tackle, and diving across the goal line with just four seconds remaining on the clock. Aidan Marshall, Grant Scribner, and Sir’Chris Swillie rounded out the scoring ledger with rushing touchdowns, ensuring eight different players found the end zone.
Looking Ahead to the Quarterfinals
With the opening-round win safely in hand, Millard South improves to 9-1 on the season. Lincoln Standing Bear finishes their campaign at 5-5.
Head coach Taylor Mendenhall maintained a strict single-game mindset when looking toward the next round. “It’s one day at a time,” Mendenhall said. “They earned the right to play another week of football, and we don’t take that for granted.”
The Patriots will now prepare to host Papillion-La Vista South in the Class A quarterfinals.
