PA outlasts Rocky Mount Academy in physical contest
Story by Keith Spence
Look up “workhorse” in the dictionary and you might find a picture of Ashton Brinson.
Parrott Academy’s senior running back defined the term and then added some secondary meaning Friday at Hodges Field, rushing for 212 yards and breaking free for a go-ahead 73-yard TD reception as the Patriots outlasted rival Rocky Mount Academy 38-35 on Senior Night.
“Ashton’s a stud, and tonight he put us on his back and led us to a hard-fought win over a very good team,” Parrott coach Matt Beaman said. “I knew this would be a dogfight. It always is when we play Rocky Mount.”
Dogfight might have been an understatement. The two teams battled back and forth in an emotional, physical contest that saw 22 combined penalties for over 200 yards.
And no one was more physical than Brinson, who punished the Eagles defense with 34 carries and three touchdowns.
His final TD, however, which gave the Patriots the lead for good, came through the air. Trailing 35-30 in the fourth quarter and facing a second-and-thirteen from its own 27, Parrott dialed Brinson’s number on a middle screen, which the 5-11, 198-pounder converted into an electrifying 73-yard scoring strike.
Brinson also added the two-point conversion run as the Patriots (7-1, 4-0) regained the lead with 6:32 to play.
The APA defense, helped by some ill-timed chippiness from the Rocky Mount sidelines, finally sealed the deal after a few anxious moments.
The Eagles (5-3, 2-3) drove to the Patriots 32 before a first-down-nullifying offensive pass interference penalty drew the ire of the RMA coaching staff, resulting in a second 15-yard infraction, this one for unsportsmanlike conduct.
From third and 10 to third and 40, Eagles quarterback Wells Hutson was then picked off by Parrott’s Andrew Daniels, the only turnover by either side in the game.
Daniels didn’t just make the defensive play of the game. He also helped run out the clock, following his pick with four rushes from his fullback position as the Patriots never gave the ball back.
“Andrew was a difference maker on both sides of the ball,” Beaman said. “He ran the ball 10 times to take some of the load off Ashton, and he also threw some outstanding lead blocks to give Ashton running room.”
Daniels was also active in the passing game, hauling in four catches for 57 yards.
The APA victory sets up a regular season ending winner-take-all contest at undefeated John Paul II, which comes into the contest 9-0.
The winner will earn the top seed in the NCISAA 8-man playoffs, which start in two weeks.
“Games like next week are what it’s all about,” Beaman said. “A chance at the top-seed against an undefeated rival. It’ll be another war, but we’ll be ready.”
