Showdown in K-Town: Defending 8-man champs face off Thursday
By Bryan C. Hanks
Kinston, N.C. — In a city known mostly for its prep hoops prowess, a truly unique thing will happen Thursday night: Two defending state champions – both located within the Kinston city limits and only 5 miles apart – will take on each other on the football field.
Two-time defending North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 2A 8-man champion Arendell Parrott Academy will welcome Bethel Christian Academy – the defending NCISAA 1A 8-man champion – to Hodges Field at 7 p.m.
It’s a game that is poised to have a standing-room-only crowd in place for kickoff.
“People are going to want to come and see two state champions,” Arendell Parrott Academy senior quarterback Connor Bright said. “There should be a really good atmosphere.”
Parrott head coach Matt Beaman said, “It’s going to be great for the city of Kinston. People are going to realize there is pretty good football being played in Kinston. We’re always recognized for basketball, which is deserving, but there is pretty good football in this area, as well.”
The leader of the Trojans agreed.
“This game is going to be huge for our community,” Bethel Christian Academy coach Brick Crowder said. “When you have two state champions opening the season against each other, it’s a big deal.”
2016 RECAP
The programs took circuitous – but similar – routes to their respective titles last year. After playing a junior varsity schedule in 2015, Bethel – in its first season of varsity action since the 1970s – started the 2016 season by losing its first three games by a combined 140-56 margin. But the Trojans won their final nine games of the season, culminating in a 40-0 win against Halifax Academy in the 1A championship game.
They did it in spectacular fashion, outscoring their opponents by an average of 37.3 points per game over the final eight games.
Crowder, who is also a youth pastor at Bethel, admitted he didn’t think his young Trojans would win a state title in its first season.
“I really didn’t,” he said with a laugh in his office this week. “I was hoping we’d be competitive. I was more worried with how our participation would be at a small Christian school. Depth is a huge issue with 8-man football and I was worried about ours.
“We stayed healthy and remained healthy the whole season. We also had great senior leadership last year from guys like Jonathan Truett and Cole Williams. All of that came together for us.”
Likewise, Parrott suffered through a four-game losing streak midway through their 2016 campaign. However, the Patriots rallied in the final stretch of the season to upset Raleigh St. David’s – a team that had beaten them in a three-overtime thriller earlier in the season – 23-16 in the 2A championship game. It was Parrott’s second straight 2A championship and the third in program history, harkening back to 1990.
BETHEL-PARROTT, PART 1
The teams met each other for the first time since the 1970s on Sept. 9, 2016. Bethel entered that contest with an 0-3 record after being drubbed by Rocky Mount Academy and Courtland (Va.) Southampton Academy by identical 50-18 scores and losing 40-20 to 8-man heavyweight St. David’s in a driving rainstorm.
On the other hand, Parrott entered the game with a 3-0 record after shutting out Merry Hill Lawrence Academy and defeating Wilson Community Christian and Wayne Christian.
It’s not a stretch to say there was virtually no one outside the Bethel locker room who thought the Trojans had a chance against the Patriots.
The Trojans discovered their offense, though, and won a shootout for the ages with the Patriots, 54-46.
“It took a lot of heart from us,” Bethel senior linebacker Sincere McDonald said. “Everyone just came together and manned up. No one gave us a chance and that drove us.”
Crowder said, “We escaped – and yes, I use the word ‘escape’ – out of there with that win. Parrott had grabbed the momentum and was coming for us.”
The Trojans didn’t lose again in 2016 after their win at Parrott.
“That (Parrott) win just gave us a spark we used the rest of the season,” McDonald said.
The Bethel loss marked the first of four in a row for the Patriots, who righted the ship against Cary Christian on Oct. 25 and won the 2A title by defeating St. David’s, who had downed them in triple-overtime earlier in the season.
“Honestly, I think our players overlooked them that night,” Beaman said of last year’s loss to Bethel. “I know our coaching staff didn’t, because we knew they were going to be very competitive. We were banged up that night and before we knew it, we couldn’t stop them and we were in a shootout. … But we are taking that loss as motivation.”
By Bryan C. Hanks
Kinston, N.C. — In a city known mostly for its prep hoops prowess, a truly unique thing will happen Thursday night: Two defending state champions – both located within the Kinston city limits and only 5 miles apart – will take on each other on the football field.
Two-time defending North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 2A 8-man champion Arendell Parrott Academy will welcome Bethel Christian Academy – the defending NCISAA 1A 8-man champion – to Hodges Field at 7 p.m.
It’s a game that is poised to have a standing-room-only crowd in place for kickoff.
“People are going to want to come and see two state champions,” Arendell Parrott Academy senior quarterback Connor Bright said. “There should be a really good atmosphere.”
Parrott head coach Matt Beaman said, “It’s going to be great for the city of Kinston. People are going to realize there is pretty good football being played in Kinston. We’re always recognized for basketball, which is deserving, but there is pretty good football in this area, as well.”
The leader of the Trojans agreed.
“This game is going to be huge for our community,” Bethel Christian Academy coach Brick Crowder said. “When you have two state champions opening the season against each other, it’s a big deal.”
2016 RECAP
The programs took circuitous – but similar – routes to their respective titles last year. After playing a junior varsity schedule in 2015, Bethel – in its first season of varsity action since the 1970s – started the 2016 season by losing its first three games by a combined 140-56 margin. But the Trojans won their final nine games of the season, culminating in a 40-0 win against Halifax Academy in the 1A championship game.
They did it in spectacular fashion, outscoring their opponents by an average of 37.3 points per game over the final eight games.
Crowder, who is also a youth pastor at Bethel, admitted he didn’t think his young Trojans would win a state title in its first season.
“I really didn’t,” he said with a laugh in his office this week. “I was hoping we’d be competitive. I was more worried with how our participation would be at a small Christian school. Depth is a huge issue with 8-man football and I was worried about ours.
“We stayed healthy and remained healthy the whole season. We also had great senior leadership last year from guys like Jonathan Truett and Cole Williams. All of that came together for us.”
Likewise, Parrott suffered through a four-game losing streak midway through their 2016 campaign. However, the Patriots rallied in the final stretch of the season to upset Raleigh St. David’s – a team that had beaten them in a three-overtime thriller earlier in the season – 23-16 in the 2A championship game. It was Parrott’s second straight 2A championship and the third in program history, harkening back to 1990.
BETHEL-PARROTT, PART 1
The teams met each other for the first time since the 1970s on Sept. 9, 2016. Bethel entered that contest with an 0-3 record after being drubbed by Rocky Mount Academy and Courtland (Va.) Southampton Academy by identical 50-18 scores and losing 40-20 to 8-man heavyweight St. David’s in a driving rainstorm.
On the other hand, Parrott entered the game with a 3-0 record after shutting out Merry Hill Lawrence Academy and defeating Wilson Community Christian and Wayne Christian.
It’s not a stretch to say there was virtually no one outside the Bethel locker room who thought the Trojans had a chance against the Patriots.
The Trojans discovered their offense, though, and won a shootout for the ages with the Patriots, 54-46.
“It took a lot of heart from us,” Bethel senior linebacker Sincere McDonald said. “Everyone just came together and manned up. No one gave us a chance and that drove us.”
Crowder said, “We escaped – and yes, I use the word ‘escape’ – out of there with that win. Parrott had grabbed the momentum and was coming for us.”
The Trojans didn’t lose again in 2016 after their win at Parrott.
“That (Parrott) win just gave us a spark we used the rest of the season,” McDonald said.
The Bethel loss marked the first of four in a row for the Patriots, who righted the ship against Cary Christian on Oct. 25 and won the 2A title by defeating St. David’s, who had downed them in triple-overtime earlier in the season.
“Honestly, I think our players overlooked them that night,” Beaman said of last year’s loss to Bethel. “I know our coaching staff didn’t, because we knew they were going to be very competitive. We were banged up that night and before we knew it, we couldn’t stop them and we were in a shootout. … But we are taking that loss as motivation.”
