- Arendell Parrott rolls over Northeast Academy 52-14
- By Scott Cole / Correspondent
Posted Aug. 29, 2015 at 12:28 AM
Updated at 12:29 AM
Success in athletics is nothing new to Arendell Parrott Academy.
On a Friday night where the school honored the Patriots’ state champion baseball and softball teams in their home opener, Coach Matt Beaman saw his formidable football squad take on and defeat the Northeast Academy Eagles, 52-14.
The Patriots, which fell in the 8-man state championship last year, is off to a fast 2-0 start this season.
“I was worried that we would see this game as a ‘let down’ game,” Beaman said. “We played Rocky Mount last week, who we lost to in the state finals and we’ve been prepping all summer for them. I was scared we’d overlook Northeast and they do have some really good players but we watched a lot of game film of them. They are a solid opponent, but we played lights out tonight. Very proud of the guys.”
In the middle of the first quarter, Charlie King returned a punt for 33 yards to get to the Northeast 30-yard line. His return helped to set up a 21-yard pass from Connor Bright to Matthew Chappell for the first score of the game. Davis Basden would score on the two-point conversion to give the Patriots an 8-0 lead.
On the next drive, Northeast’s quarterback Matthew Little fired a pass up the middle that was intercepted by Zach Vendemia and returned for 13 yards. The interception set up a 29-yard dash down the sidelines by Basden. Basden was knocked out of bounds at the 2-yard line, while he dove for the pylons. While he didn’t score, two plays later, Bright would walk in with a run of his own to put the Patriots up 14-0.
“We did a great job preparing for this game. We came out excited,” said Bright. “We saw that they didn’t cover well and we attacked them early. That helped to set the tone of the game.”
“I think the key to this game was our tempo. We play a very fast paced, University of Oregon-Chip Kelly style of offense. It helps to keep the defense on their toes as we continue to attack them,” said Beamon.
With the ensuing kickoff, Ro Grady recovered an onsides attempt to give the Patriots back the ball at midfield. The next play, Bright launched a pass to Riley Cregan for a 50-yard touchdown. With the two point conversion good, Parrott went up 22-0 and was in full control of both sides of the ball in this game.
The Eagles responded to by a scoring drive of their own. Five straight running plays culminated in 30-yard run by Little for the score. Parrott Academy would answer by closing out the first quarter with a 29-yard pass from Bright to Basden, who bobbed and weaved through several defenders to cross into the end zone and give the Patriots a 30-6 score.
Noah Harrison would recover a kickoff that was fumbled by the Eagles as the second quarter began. Much like in the first quarter, the Patriots dominated the game. Touchdowns by Cregan on a 25-yard reception, Zach Vendemia on a 1-yard run, and an interception by Chappell firmly put the Patriots up by 52-6 at halftime.
“We’ve been working on a lot of throwing routes all summer,” said Bright of his 9 of 13, 273-yard, 5 touchdown performance. “But it is the receivers who get open to get the yards and it is the offensive line who make the blocks so I can set up the play. They should get the credit for all that we do together as a team.”
“Bright worked hard for this opportunity. He calls a lot of plays out of the huddle. He’s got a strong arm. He’s made 10 touchdowns this year and has yet to turn the ball over. He is a real gamer,” said Beaman.
In between the first and second halves, the baseball and football teams received their championship rings after their successful campaigns during the spring. The players received their rings to thunderous applause. While some of last year’s seniors were away at college and could not attend, one player, Chase Howard, was represented by his father, as Chad is currently doing mission work in the Philippines.
Basden led the team with 101 yards on seven rushes. He also had 94 yards on five receptions with two touchdowns. Josh Lopez added 52 yards on the ground while Cregan had 75 yards receiving..
“Basden is a player. He is one of the best in the conference. He helps to move this offense along,” said Beamon.
Next week, Parrott hosts St. David’s from Raleigh. “They are a tough school. They are the toughest team on our schedule this year. We have to be prepared for them,” Beaman said.
Arendell Parrott Academy 52, Northeast Academy 14
NA 6 0 6 0 14
APA 30 22 0 0 52
First Quarter
APA-Matthew Chappell 21 yd rec (Davis Basden 2 pt conversion good)
APA-Conor Bright 2yd run (Bright pass to Riley Cregan 2-pt conversion no good)
APA-Cregan 50 yd rec (Bright 2 pt conversion good)
NA-Matthew Little 30 yd run (Little pass to Rowe 2 pt conversion no good)
APA-Basden 29 yd rec (Bright pass to Basden 2pt conversion good)
Second Quarter
APA-Basden 25 yd rec (Bright pass to Chappell 2pt no good)
APA-Cregan 25 yd rec (Basden 2pt good)
APA Zach Vendemia 1 yd run (Philip Johnson 2pt good)
Third Quarter
NA-Little 1 yd run (Little 2 pt good)
NA APA
First downs 9 17
Rushes-yards 29-144 23-237
Passing 4-12 11-18
Passing yards 33 235
Total yards 177 472
Fumbles-lost 1-3 4-5
Penalties 0-0 5-40
Punts-avg 3-84 0-0
Individual statistics
RUSHING — NA: Little 11-81, Wells 8-26, Faulkner 2-20, Galloway 4-20, Byrd 2-3, Baker 2- -3 APA: Basden 7-101, Lopez 9-52, Vendemia 5-30, Johnson 4-25, Bright 4-17, Doyle 4-12
PASSING — NA: Little 4-12 33 APA: Bright 9-13 237, Vendemia 2-5 -2
RECEIVING — NA: Sonnenberg 2-15, Byrd 1-11, Rowe 1-7 APA: Basden 5-94, Cregan 2-75, Vendemia 1-37, Chappell 1-21, Sylvia 2-6, Lopez 1-0
