TD Strike Just Before Halftime Breaks 48-Year-Old Record
At times, the game wasn’t pretty, but it turned out to be historical.
Parry McCluer quarterback Nathan Glass teamed up with wide receiver Zavion Dunn to set a new PM passing record, and the Blues overcame two defensive lapses in the first half to roll past Page County, 46-12, last Friday night in Buena Vista.
“Those are two big wins for our football program,” said head coach Jeremiah Brockenbrough, who saw his team improve to 2-0, with this victory coming on RARO night in Buena Vista. “That’s a testament to our kids. I just want to thank all of the fans and the little league coaches. I appreciate what they do for our program.”
The game started with both defenses on their heels. Page County took the opening kickoff and marched all the way to the Parry McCluer 4-yard line, but the Blues stiffened with a fourth-down stop.
Then PM, bringing back memories of old Blues’ offenses, marched 96 yards in 11 plays, chewing up over four minutes of the game clock to get the game’s first score.
Jacob Shafer started the drive with a 23yard run, and twice the Blues converted on third down to keep the drive alive. Parry McCluer got the game’s first touchdown when Glass passed to Shafer from 16 yards out, and when Quentin Rosser booted the extra point, PM had a 7-0 lead with 4:47 to play in the opening quarter.
“We knew they could control the line of scrimmage,” Brockenbrough said. “We just needed a stop. If we could get it, we knew we could score. We did that.”
It didn’t take the Panthers long to respond, though – just one minute and 10 seconds to be exact. Facing second-and-15 from the Page County 27-yard line, PC’s Braxton Pettit found running r oom on the outside of the PM defensive front and raced untouched 73 yards for a touchdown. The twopoint try was no good, but Page County cut the Parry McCluer lead to 7-6 with 3:37 remaining in the first period.
The Blues, who scored on four of their five possessions in the first half, then embarked on another time-consuming march. This drive, set up by Brody Coleman’s 22-yard kickoff return, chewed up an additional four and half minutes and culminated when Glass passed to Parker Snider for a 6-yard score. This time the Blues made good on two fourth-down conversions, first when Shafer bulled his way for four yards on fourth-and-one, and again when Glass dashed for eight yards on fourth-and-five at the Page County 17-yard line.
Third and fourth downs were huge for the Blues Friday night. Parry McCluer converted seven of its 11 third down tries in the game and were three out of four on fourth down conversions.
“That’s confidence,” said the PM coach. “At the end of the day, our kids think we can move the sticks in [any situation].”
While the Blues were methodical in their first two touchdown drives, Page County preferred the quick approach, and the Panthers did it again immediately after the Blues made it 13-6. On the first play after Snider’s TD reception, Pettit fumbled a snap but was able to recover, tip-toe down the sideline and score on a 54-yard sprint, cutting the deficit to 13-12 after the two-point try failed again.
Pettit enjoyed a career night for the Panthers, rushing for 206 yards on 17 carries and scoring both Page County touchdowns. He accounted for more than 70 percent of Page County’s total offensive production.
“We didn’t line up right,” Brockenbrough noted. “Our defensive ends were supposed to line up in an outside shade. They were able to get to our ends, and our cornerbacks got stuck inside. We made the adjustment.”
Though the Panthers did threaten to crack the end zone a couple of times later in the game, they never scored again. Meanwhile, the Blues blew the game wide open with a pair of touchdowns late in the first half.
After a Dunn punt return set up the Blues at the Page County 29-yard line, Glass ran in a TD from 12 yards away. Then came history.
Page County drove deep into Parry McCluer territory as time ticked away in the first half, but on fourth down with just 11 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Shafer intercepted a pass that gave the Blues one last scoring opportunity, though they were a long way from paydirt.
Setting up shop at his own 5-yard line, Glass dropped back to pass, and his heave fell into the hands of Dunn, who outran the Page County defense to complete a 95-yard scoring strike at the buzzer to set a new Parry Mc-Cluer record for longest pass, and when Snider ran in the two-point conversion, the Blues took a 27-12 lead into the intermission.
“At no point did I think about not throwing it deep,” Brockenbrough said, noting that the Panthers came out in a defense susceptible to just such a play. “The quarterback has to make a good read, and the two [receivers] have to come off the line 190 miles per hour. That deflated them, I think.”
The 95-yard scoring play broke a record that had stood for 48 years. The previous mark was set when Marty Carter passed to Mickey Branch for 90 yards against Riverheads in the first game of the 1977 season.
If there were any doubts about the outcome of last Friday’s game at halftime, they were quickly quelled at the start of the third quarter. Snider broke off a 68-yard run on the first play of the period, and Shafer scored on a 12-yard run with just 54 seconds elapsed in the second half. Rosser added the extra-point kick, and the Blues increased their lead to 34-12.
Offensively, the Blues piled up 527 total yards, including 328 on the ground. Snider led the rushing attack, picking up 126 yards on 16 attempts, while Shafer finished with 99 yards and a pair of TDs on 14 tries. Shafer also hauled in four passes for 60 more yards and two more touchdowns.
Glass completed 10 of 16 passes for 199 yards and four scores. Dunn had two catches in the game for 110 yards.
“We need to be able to chuck it – when we want to, not when we need to – if we are going to be any kind of threat offensively,” Brockenbrough said of his team’s balanced attack Friday.
The Blues put an exclamation point on the contest with two more second-half scores. Shafer rushed for 31 yards for one of those touchdowns, and he caught a 27-yard pass from Glass midway through the fourth quarter to provide the final margin.
The Blues will face a familiar rival this Friday when they hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to Buchanan for their 56th meeting with James River. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
“We are going to need to have a good week of practice,” said Brockenbrough. “We are going to have to be disciplined. This game is going to be all about discipline.”
PC 6 6 0 0 12 PM 7 20 13 6 46
First Quarter PM – Shafer 16 p. from Glass (Rosser kick) PC – Pettit 73 run (run failed) Second Quarter PM – Snider 6 p. from Glass (kick failed) PC – Pettit 54 run (run failed) PM – Glass 12 run (pass failed) PM – Z. Dunn 95 p. from Glass (Snider run) Third Quarter PM – Shafer 12 run (Rosser kick) PM – Shafer 31 run (kick failed) Fourth Quarter PM – Shafer 27 p. from Glass (run failed) RUSHING PC – Pettit 17-206, Richards 17-69, Knott 6-35, Taylor 2-3, Team 4-(-25). Totals 46-288.
PM – Snider 16-126, Shafer 14-99, Glass 7-80, Z. Dunn 1-16, Coleman 1-4, Brockenbrough 1-3, J. Dunn 1-0. Totals 41-328.
PASSING PC – Taylor 0-3-0-0-2. PM – Glass 10-16-4-199-0. RECEIVING PM – Shafer 4-60, Z. Dunn 2-110, Rosser 2-20, Snider 1-6, J. Dunn 1-3.
