RMA opens with a defeat
Josh Walfish---ROCKY MOUNT TELEGRAM
It didn’t take too long for the 2014 season to disappear from Rocky Mount Academy’s conscious.
The two-time defending NCISAA champions looked nervous and sluggish out of the gate, and although the Eagles had a mid-game rally, Kinston Parrott was too much for Rocky Mount Academy. The Patriots shellacked the host Eagles, 56-35, to avenge last season’s loss in the state title game.
“They beat us bad, but we can fix all those mistakes going forward,” Eagles coach Terrell Hudgins said.
The offense was an issue for the Eagles most of the night. The offensive line could not open holes for the running backs, and senior Kyle Holland was under pressure on most of his dropbacks.
There was a sliver of hope in the second quarter when Holland led a 13-play, 99-yard touchdown drive, but outside of a few big explosion plays in the air, there was not much to be excited about on offense.
“Our blocking was a little better when we had our streak (in the second and third quarters),” Holland said. “We were getting off the ball. ... We’ve got some good receivers, and if I can put it in the right spot, they can usually make something happen with it.”
The Eagles’ biggest issue was on defense. Parrott’s physical backs were able to easily break through the slew of arm tackles, and turn two-yard gains into 20 yards or more.
Davis Basden ended the day with 257 yards on 23 carries; a majority of those yards came after contact.
The most damage came when the Patriots were in open space – mainly off sweeps and screen passes. The Eagles looked helpless on those plays, mainly due to a schematic issue.
“It came down to how our defense was lining up,” said Holland, who also plays linebacker. “They ran the sweep, and we didn’t really have anyone to cover that. We need to have someone over there to stop the sweep.”
Hudgins said many of those late-game arm tackles were due to conditioning and not hustling to pursue the football.
“We thought we could just throw them down, and that definitely wasn’t the case,” Hudgins said. “Parrott has size and they’re quick. When you have a guy like that, you can’t try to arm tackle them.”
Hudgins said the team will actually tackle this week in practice to help fix the issue, but the conditioning aspect was a big issue.
The Eagles lost several players to cramps in the second half, most notably junior cornerback Christopher Rabil. That forced plenty of new faces into positions in which they weren’t very experienced and Parrott took full advantage.
It was a game full of learning opportunities for both players and coach.
“I didn’t do a good job as a coach, apparently,” Hudgins said. “Our offense didn’t move the ball ... I call the plays and I take full responsibility with that. ... I messed up.
“I’m learning, and just like our guys will get better each week, I’ll get better each week.”
Josh Walfish can be reached at 407-9959 or jwalfish@rmtelegram.com
Kinston Parrott 56
Rocky Mount Academy 35
KP 14 0 14 28 – 56
RMA 0 7 14 14 – 35
First Quarter
KP – Davis Basden 25 run (2-point failed), 9:32
KP – Connor Bright 1 run (Basden run), 4:58
Second Quarter
RMA – Christopher Rabil 17 pass from Kyle Holland (Smelcer kick), 1:28
Third Quarter
RMA – Jacob Braddy 9 pass from Holland (PAT blocked), 8:05
KP – Basden 8 run (Bright run), 5:51
RMA – Isaiah Thomas 72 kick return (Holland run), 5:39
KP – Bright 3 run (2-point failed), 3:18
Fourth Quarter
KP – Basden 12 pass from Bright (2-point failed), 9:48
KP – Basden 32 pass from Bright (Bright run), 6:11
KP – Josh Lopez 36 run (2-point failed), 4:04
RMA – Rabil 39 pass from Holland (2-point failed), 2:52
KP – Basden 74 run (Lopez run), 1:46
RMA – Holland 1 run (Jared McCall run), 0:18
KP RMA
13 First downs..............11
39–311 Rushes-yards.....39–121
149 Passing yards..........169
9–17–0 Passes.................11–23–3
460 Total offense...........290
3–2 Fumbles-Lost..........2–0
10–84 Penalties-Yards.....9–65
Individual Statistics
Rushing – KP: Davis Basden 23 – 257; Josh Lopez 6 – 49; RMA: Jared McCall 4 – 58; Jacob Braddy 11 – 41; Caleb Lambert 14 – 25; Tyson Jones 5 – 16;
Passing – KP: Connor Bright 9–17–2, 149; RMA: Kyle Holland 11–22–3, 169; Caleb Lambert 0–1–0, 0;
Receiving – KP: Davis Basden 7–111; Zack Sylvia 1–26; Riley Cregan 1–12; RMA: Christopher Rabil 4–107; Isaiah Thomas 3–48; Caleb Lambert 3–5;
Josh Walfish---ROCKY MOUNT TELEGRAM
It didn’t take too long for the 2014 season to disappear from Rocky Mount Academy’s conscious.
The two-time defending NCISAA champions looked nervous and sluggish out of the gate, and although the Eagles had a mid-game rally, Kinston Parrott was too much for Rocky Mount Academy. The Patriots shellacked the host Eagles, 56-35, to avenge last season’s loss in the state title game.
“They beat us bad, but we can fix all those mistakes going forward,” Eagles coach Terrell Hudgins said.
The offense was an issue for the Eagles most of the night. The offensive line could not open holes for the running backs, and senior Kyle Holland was under pressure on most of his dropbacks.
There was a sliver of hope in the second quarter when Holland led a 13-play, 99-yard touchdown drive, but outside of a few big explosion plays in the air, there was not much to be excited about on offense.
“Our blocking was a little better when we had our streak (in the second and third quarters),” Holland said. “We were getting off the ball. ... We’ve got some good receivers, and if I can put it in the right spot, they can usually make something happen with it.”
The Eagles’ biggest issue was on defense. Parrott’s physical backs were able to easily break through the slew of arm tackles, and turn two-yard gains into 20 yards or more.
Davis Basden ended the day with 257 yards on 23 carries; a majority of those yards came after contact.
The most damage came when the Patriots were in open space – mainly off sweeps and screen passes. The Eagles looked helpless on those plays, mainly due to a schematic issue.
“It came down to how our defense was lining up,” said Holland, who also plays linebacker. “They ran the sweep, and we didn’t really have anyone to cover that. We need to have someone over there to stop the sweep.”
Hudgins said many of those late-game arm tackles were due to conditioning and not hustling to pursue the football.
“We thought we could just throw them down, and that definitely wasn’t the case,” Hudgins said. “Parrott has size and they’re quick. When you have a guy like that, you can’t try to arm tackle them.”
Hudgins said the team will actually tackle this week in practice to help fix the issue, but the conditioning aspect was a big issue.
The Eagles lost several players to cramps in the second half, most notably junior cornerback Christopher Rabil. That forced plenty of new faces into positions in which they weren’t very experienced and Parrott took full advantage.
It was a game full of learning opportunities for both players and coach.
“I didn’t do a good job as a coach, apparently,” Hudgins said. “Our offense didn’t move the ball ... I call the plays and I take full responsibility with that. ... I messed up.
“I’m learning, and just like our guys will get better each week, I’ll get better each week.”
Josh Walfish can be reached at 407-9959 or jwalfish@rmtelegram.com
Kinston Parrott 56
Rocky Mount Academy 35
KP 14 0 14 28 – 56
RMA 0 7 14 14 – 35
First Quarter
KP – Davis Basden 25 run (2-point failed), 9:32
KP – Connor Bright 1 run (Basden run), 4:58
Second Quarter
RMA – Christopher Rabil 17 pass from Kyle Holland (Smelcer kick), 1:28
Third Quarter
RMA – Jacob Braddy 9 pass from Holland (PAT blocked), 8:05
KP – Basden 8 run (Bright run), 5:51
RMA – Isaiah Thomas 72 kick return (Holland run), 5:39
KP – Bright 3 run (2-point failed), 3:18
Fourth Quarter
KP – Basden 12 pass from Bright (2-point failed), 9:48
KP – Basden 32 pass from Bright (Bright run), 6:11
KP – Josh Lopez 36 run (2-point failed), 4:04
RMA – Rabil 39 pass from Holland (2-point failed), 2:52
KP – Basden 74 run (Lopez run), 1:46
RMA – Holland 1 run (Jared McCall run), 0:18
KP RMA
13 First downs..............11
39–311 Rushes-yards.....39–121
149 Passing yards..........169
9–17–0 Passes.................11–23–3
460 Total offense...........290
3–2 Fumbles-Lost..........2–0
10–84 Penalties-Yards.....9–65
Individual Statistics
Rushing – KP: Davis Basden 23 – 257; Josh Lopez 6 – 49; RMA: Jared McCall 4 – 58; Jacob Braddy 11 – 41; Caleb Lambert 14 – 25; Tyson Jones 5 – 16;
Passing – KP: Connor Bright 9–17–2, 149; RMA: Kyle Holland 11–22–3, 169; Caleb Lambert 0–1–0, 0;
Receiving – KP: Davis Basden 7–111; Zack Sylvia 1–26; Riley Cregan 1–12; RMA: Christopher Rabil 4–107; Isaiah Thomas 3–48; Caleb Lambert 3–5;
