Arendell Parrott's late rally falls short in loss to Rocky Mount Academy
By Scott Cole / Correspondent KINSTON FREE PRESS
After a strong start to the year, the Arendell Parrott Academy Patriots have struggled as of late, dropping their last two games. Friday night’s game would not make things easier as the Rocky Mount Academy Eagles swooped into town boasting a 5-0 record.
A late rally by Parrott Academy would not be enough, as the Eagles were able to keep the Patriots offense grounded as they rolled to a 23-12 victory. There were 13 fumbles during the game with five of them coughed up. There were also four interceptions in the game. For the game, APA had only 225 yards of total offense.
“Yeah, this was not your standard eight-on-eight game,” said Patriots coach Matt Beaman. “We’re a little banged up, came out flat, dug ourselves into a hole, and didn’t wake up until the fourth quarter, but by then it was way too late to dig out of it.”
“We executed better and got the turnovers when we needed to,” said Eagles coach Terrell Hudgins. “Turnovers hurt both teams and almost cost us as well.”
The Eagles started off early. They orchestrated a drive that began by using misdirected runs off to the sides before taking to the air. The drive culminated in a one-yard run by fullback Tyson Jones. A blocked kick kept the Eagles at 6-0.
Ro Grady grabbed a fumble near the start of the second quarter to give the Patriots a lift. With the ball near midfield, APA had hoped to get its offense started, but could not generate any offensive plays. And as the Eagles got the ball back, they marched down the field, finishing it up with a 15-yard touchdown reception to go up 12-0 with four minutes left to go in the first half.
Just before halftime, the Patriots started to finally move the ball. Trey McLahowrn took a 19 yd reception down to the 25 yard line. Connor Bright fired off his next pass into the end zone, however it was snagged by a leaping cornerback.
Coming back from halftime, little had changed. The Eagles snagged a third and long pass off of Bright. Rocky Mountain marched down the field, helped out a bit by a 15-yard facemask penalty, and moved the ball into the red zone. Sylvia saved the Patriots with an interception in the end zone. The joy would be short lived as the Eagles picked up their third interception of the night. The Eagles converted the turnover into a 10-yard run by Oliver Bissett.
After the two teams traded fumbles, the Eagles opened the final frame by advancing down the field yet again. The Parrott Academy defense held the Eagles down and turned the ball over to their offense. For the first time in the game, the offense came alive. Bright hit Sylvia for a 11 yard reception before connecting with Banker for a 56 yard touchdown to narrow the score to 20-6.
“We couldn’t make the plays on offense we needed to early on,” said Sylvia. “But we didn’t give up and we kept on fighting. It didn’t happen until it was too late.”
On the next series, Grady recovered a fumble to give the Patriots the ball near midfield with nine minutes to play. Dinking passes off to Holden Killinger and Banker, the Patriots began to move forward. Killinger reaped the benefits of the drive with a 20-yard reception putting APA down by one score.
We went from a 4-2 defense to a 3-4 scheme and I think it helped us a lot to prepare for this game. Our defense kept us in this game long enough to get our offense going,” said Coach Beaman. “We brought another blocker out on offense to give Bright time to get settled and it helped him to make plays. That helped us to come back a bit.”
With the score, the Patriots got their swagger back. On defense, they swarmed all over the Eagles running backs, preventing them from advancing. However, Isaiah Thomas, the Eagles quarterback, took a third down quarterback keeper and stormed down the sidelines. A quick play by Sylvia saved a touchdown for the Patriots. Several penalties and great defensive plays stopped the Eagles. However, Trey Smelcer kicked a 42 yard field goal that split the uprights, putting the Eagles up 23-12 and the game out of reach. A fumble on Parrott’s next drive sealed their fate.
“I think that kick was the play of the game. If we miss that, they get the ball back and have the momentum,” said Coach Hudgins.
“Every week we are getting better and healthier. We held up a good team and gave them only 20 points,” said Coach Beamon. “I feel that if we play like this, we can play against anyone in October and I really like our chances for the rest of the season. I think we can take on anyone and come out on top. Our guys are ready to go and I will take them and this coaching staff against anyone.”
Banker led Parrott with 24 yards rushing. He also added 65 reception yards. Killinger led the Patriots with 72 yards receiving. Bright was 13 for 27 with 198 passing yards.
By Scott Cole / Correspondent KINSTON FREE PRESS
After a strong start to the year, the Arendell Parrott Academy Patriots have struggled as of late, dropping their last two games. Friday night’s game would not make things easier as the Rocky Mount Academy Eagles swooped into town boasting a 5-0 record.
A late rally by Parrott Academy would not be enough, as the Eagles were able to keep the Patriots offense grounded as they rolled to a 23-12 victory. There were 13 fumbles during the game with five of them coughed up. There were also four interceptions in the game. For the game, APA had only 225 yards of total offense.
“Yeah, this was not your standard eight-on-eight game,” said Patriots coach Matt Beaman. “We’re a little banged up, came out flat, dug ourselves into a hole, and didn’t wake up until the fourth quarter, but by then it was way too late to dig out of it.”
“We executed better and got the turnovers when we needed to,” said Eagles coach Terrell Hudgins. “Turnovers hurt both teams and almost cost us as well.”
The Eagles started off early. They orchestrated a drive that began by using misdirected runs off to the sides before taking to the air. The drive culminated in a one-yard run by fullback Tyson Jones. A blocked kick kept the Eagles at 6-0.
Ro Grady grabbed a fumble near the start of the second quarter to give the Patriots a lift. With the ball near midfield, APA had hoped to get its offense started, but could not generate any offensive plays. And as the Eagles got the ball back, they marched down the field, finishing it up with a 15-yard touchdown reception to go up 12-0 with four minutes left to go in the first half.
Just before halftime, the Patriots started to finally move the ball. Trey McLahowrn took a 19 yd reception down to the 25 yard line. Connor Bright fired off his next pass into the end zone, however it was snagged by a leaping cornerback.
Coming back from halftime, little had changed. The Eagles snagged a third and long pass off of Bright. Rocky Mountain marched down the field, helped out a bit by a 15-yard facemask penalty, and moved the ball into the red zone. Sylvia saved the Patriots with an interception in the end zone. The joy would be short lived as the Eagles picked up their third interception of the night. The Eagles converted the turnover into a 10-yard run by Oliver Bissett.
After the two teams traded fumbles, the Eagles opened the final frame by advancing down the field yet again. The Parrott Academy defense held the Eagles down and turned the ball over to their offense. For the first time in the game, the offense came alive. Bright hit Sylvia for a 11 yard reception before connecting with Banker for a 56 yard touchdown to narrow the score to 20-6.
“We couldn’t make the plays on offense we needed to early on,” said Sylvia. “But we didn’t give up and we kept on fighting. It didn’t happen until it was too late.”
On the next series, Grady recovered a fumble to give the Patriots the ball near midfield with nine minutes to play. Dinking passes off to Holden Killinger and Banker, the Patriots began to move forward. Killinger reaped the benefits of the drive with a 20-yard reception putting APA down by one score.
We went from a 4-2 defense to a 3-4 scheme and I think it helped us a lot to prepare for this game. Our defense kept us in this game long enough to get our offense going,” said Coach Beaman. “We brought another blocker out on offense to give Bright time to get settled and it helped him to make plays. That helped us to come back a bit.”
With the score, the Patriots got their swagger back. On defense, they swarmed all over the Eagles running backs, preventing them from advancing. However, Isaiah Thomas, the Eagles quarterback, took a third down quarterback keeper and stormed down the sidelines. A quick play by Sylvia saved a touchdown for the Patriots. Several penalties and great defensive plays stopped the Eagles. However, Trey Smelcer kicked a 42 yard field goal that split the uprights, putting the Eagles up 23-12 and the game out of reach. A fumble on Parrott’s next drive sealed their fate.
“I think that kick was the play of the game. If we miss that, they get the ball back and have the momentum,” said Coach Hudgins.
“Every week we are getting better and healthier. We held up a good team and gave them only 20 points,” said Coach Beamon. “I feel that if we play like this, we can play against anyone in October and I really like our chances for the rest of the season. I think we can take on anyone and come out on top. Our guys are ready to go and I will take them and this coaching staff against anyone.”
Banker led Parrott with 24 yards rushing. He also added 65 reception yards. Killinger led the Patriots with 72 yards receiving. Bright was 13 for 27 with 198 passing yards.
