Mills excited as Cutter Morning Star transitions back to 11-man football

BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON

After a highly successful past two years of flinging the football downfield, Cutter Morning Star quarterback Peyton Mills is expecting a banner senior season even with more traffic on the field.

Mills (6-2. 175), who has passed for 4,580 yards and 55 touchdowns the past two campaigns, will lead the Eagles as they make the leap from 8-man club competition into 11-man gridiron action.

“I’m looking forward to it a lot, really excited about it because this will be the big year for me since thus is my senior season and it’s our big transition from 8-man to 11-man,” Mills said. “I am super excited for what this year is gong to bring.”

Mills threw for 2,433 yards and 32 touchdowns last season for a Cutter Morning Star’s offense that averaged 54 points per game.

Eagles head coach Nick Finley, whose roster had just 10 players in 2022 but has surged to 42 this season, lauds his signal caller’s ability.

“It is his last hoorah, last chance,” Finley said told the Hot Springs Sentinel Record earlier this month. “At the end of his career here, he is going to have the most yards and everything else, which is going to push our junior high quarterback to be able to come and break those. … I cannot say enough about his leadership.”

Finley is confident his team will be able to compete in a Class 4-3A conference that also includes Glen Rose, Perryville, Jessiveville, Paris, Danville, Magnet Cove and Two Rivers.

That confidence has inspired the Eagles per Mills.

“His confidence is great,” Mills said. “I believe that he believes in our team and we all believe that we can make a playoff run and try to make it to the state championship obviously.

“He is just a big moral booster and motivates all of our guys to work harder and reach our goals.”

Mills believes that CMS program gained some respect even as it struggled to a 0-7 mark in 2022.

He tossed eight touchdowns against Cedar Ridge as the offense had a breakout game during that season, which the Eagles followed up with a 6-3 mark last year.

“I think it all starts back in my first season,” Mills said. “It wasn’t the best season record-wise, but I think people saw what the potential of Cutter Morning Star football could be.

“Last year we ended up getting 35 people. We had some guys that didn’t believe in our system that first year, but saw what we could do. We have got some sophomores that moved up (from junior high) this year that I am looking forward to playing with.

“I am just really excited about our guys this year.”

Mills notes the Eagles spent a lot of time this summer in 7 on 7 events and camps while he has also put in extra work to help his development.

“I am always working with the (current) UCA quarterback Will McElvain and working with my dad outside of practice,” Mills said. “We have gone to a lot of camps like Henderson State… (UA)-Monticello camp and the UCA camp.

“We did pretty good for our size of school since most of the ones we played were way bigger than we are.”

Mills was also selected to participate in the Nike Elite 11 Regional Camp in Dallas.

“I also went to the Elite 11 Dallas Camp and that was a big honor to get to go to that.”

Mills is confident that he will handles the biggest differences in 8-man and 11-man defenses.

“I would say the defensive coverages are going to be a little more complex,” Mills said. “But I am confident that I will able to handle it because I will be studying a lot more film, studying a lot more coverages.

“Obviously the protection from the offensive line will be better so I think those will be among the biggest changes.”

Mills, whose older brother Jordan was a standout quarterback at Hot Springs Lakeside and then matriculated to Southwest Mississippi Community College, sized up his strengths and weaknesses.

“I would think my biggest strengths are my accuracy and leading, being a good team leader,” Mills said. “I am also able to make plays and extend plays whenever there are broken plays.

“I think the things I can work on are my strength and obviously I am going to have to learn more coverages, but I think I will have them down once the season starts.”

Mills has seen some recruiting interest, but that is something that likely will soar after colleges get film of him playing 11-man.

“I got an offer from Central Methodist University just recently and Bethel College and I am getting pretty big looks from Southwest Mississippi – and I think they will end up offering, too – and also East Mississippi College.

“Absolutely, I think a lot of coaches are waiting on to see if I can do as well as I have in 8-man in the 11-man game.”

Photo courtesy of Peyton Mills