Snider, Glass Combine For Bulk Of 362 Rushing Yards
Parry McCluer’s football team turned in a dominant performance last Friday night.
The Blues (4-2) racked up a season-high 362 rushing yards and held visiting Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy to under 100 yards of total offense in scoring a 35-16 victory on Bobby Williams Field.
“I t hink we played a pretty good football game,” said PM head coach Jeremiah Brockenbrough. “Some of the guys stepped up.”
Yet the Blues, playing without leading rusher and secondleading tackler on defense Jacob Shafer, who missed the game because of a concussion, still left the field feeling a little less than satisfied.
Parry McCluer was whistled for 12 penalties in the contest, some of them keeping SMLCA drives alive or wiping out big plays of their own. PM also committed three turnovers in the game, losing a fumble and tossing two interceptions, bringing their turnover total to eight in the last three games.
“The penalties hurt us,” said Brockenbrough. “They can hurt us in a really close game, but it proves we were able to overcome what we were doing.”
The first of the three turnovers came on Parry McCluer’s first drive of the game. The Blues, who drew a penalty on the first snap of the game, drove all the way to the Ospreys’ 37, where SMLCA’s Carter Garland stripped a PM receiver and returned the fumble all the way to the Parry McCluer 3-yard line.
On first down from there, however, Jordan Brockenbrough dropped Jack Maybee for an 8-yrd loss. Maybee’s third down pass fell incomplete, and the Ospreys had to settle for a 27-yard field goal from Grayson Scortia.
On the ensuing kickoff, Jonavan Dunn’s return to the SMLCA 10-yard line was erased because of a holding penalty, but the Blues were undeterred. Nathan Glass ripped off 13 yards on the first play; Parker Snider added 10 on the second; and Glass scored a touchdown on a 41yard quarterback draw. The extra-point run fell short, but the Blues took a 6-3 lead with 3:33 remaining in the opening period, a lead they would not relinquish.
Both Snider and Glass enjoyed huge nights on the ground for Parry McCluer. Snider finished the game with 148 yards on just nine carries, including TD runs of 62 and 46 yards. He also caught a 21yard TD pass from Glass for one of his three receptions for 69 yards. Glass had 112 yards on nine rushing attempts and completed six of 13 passes for 75 yards and the TD.
“I went to Parker Thursday after practice, and said, ‘Friday night, you are going to have to be ready to go. You and Glass are going to have to be ready to play; you’re going to have to step up,’” said Brockenbrough. “He accepted the challenge. They showed some stuff Friday night.”
The Blues also got contributions from other running backs who turned in their best outings of the season. Jordan Brockenbrough rushed for 57 yards on 11 carries, and Brody Coleman had 35 yards on seven tries, including his first touchdown of the season.
Coleman’s 1-yard touchdown on fourth down came with 8:28 to play in the first half. It followed Snider’s 62 yard scoring run and gave the Blues a 21-3 lead at intermission.
Aided by three Parry Mc-Cluer penalties, one on fourth down after an incomplete pass and another that turned a third-and-17 into third-andtwo, the Ospreys took the opening kickoff of the third quarter and cut the lead to 21-10 when Caleb Phillips passed to Bruce Phillips for a 14-yard touchdown.
Parry McCluer answered with a short drive that culminated with the 21-yard TD pass from Glass to Snider.
SMLCA scored again when Quentin Swain found the end zone from a yard away. The Blues answered again on the first play after the kickoff. Snider did the honors with his 46-yard gallop, and when Quentin Rosser kicked the PAT, the Blues had the 35-16 victory.
The Blues will open Pioneer District play this Friday night when they travel to Narrows (1-4), the fourth road game in the past five contests for the Blues. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
“We’re going to have to control the clock and score some points,” Brockenbrough explained. “I think we can score.”
PM SENIOR running back Zavion Dunn takes the ball down the field as SMLCA defenders chase him. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photo)
