Saturday, September 9th, 2023
Late flurry lifts Panthers
Parkway scores twice in fourth to rally past Redskins
By Dave Stilwell
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
Parkway's Logan Green gets to the edge on his way to a 92-yard kick return touchdown against St. Henry at the Wally Post Athletic Complex on Friday.
ROCKFORD - Parkway scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes, capping an improbable second-half comeback to post a 35-23 victory over visiting St. Henry Friday night.
The Redskins appeared to take control of the game in the third quarter, running 22 plays while possessing the ball for nearly 10 minutes. The Panthers (2-2, 1-1 MAC) ran five plays from scrimmage in the third quarter and netted minus-17 yards.
But St. Henry managed just two field goals in the third quarter, then committed three fourth-quarter turnovers as Parkway used big plays to rally for the win.
"Our kids knew we were underdogs, but our kids fight. They use that as motivation," Parkway coach Jacob Circle said. "That's why they played four quarters tonight, and that's why the result is what it is."
St. Henry (1-3, 0-2) had two 11-play drives in the third quarter, penetrating the Parkway 5-yard line each time. But a holding penalty and a fumbled snap led to field goals of 30 and 21 yards by Michael Gonzalez for a 23-20 Redskin lead.
A 34-yard completion from St. Henry quarterback Charlie Werling to Carter Laguire moved the Redskins near the red zone on their first possession of the fourth quarter. However, Parkway recovered a fumble on the next play.
Three straight completions by Panther quarterback Fletcher Smith and a 15-yard St. Henry penalty got Parkway to the 9-yard line. Two plays later, Smith scrambled into the end zone from the 7 to give the Panthers a 27-23 lead with 6:32 left in the game.
After forcing St. Henry's first and only punt of the game on the next possession, Parkway went 84 yards in two plays, capped by a 68-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Caiden Berry. Smith ran for the two-point conversion, giving the Panthers a 35-23 lead with 4:32 left to play.
St. Henry had two more possessions, but both ended in interceptions.
"We don't know how to win football games right now," St. Henry coach Brad Luthman said. "Congratulations to Jake and Parkway. They made the plays and we didn't."
Both teams opened the game with long possessions. The Panthers ran more than six minutes off the first quarter, but the opening possession ended when Gonzalez intercepted a Smith pass at his own 6-yard line.
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
St. Henry receiver Carter Laguire crosses the goal line as Parkway's Devon Crouch tries to hold him back.
St. Henry marched 93 yards to the Parkway 1, but then lost 10 yards on a high snap, and settled for a 28-yard Gonzalez field goal and a 3-0 lead with 10:35 left in the second quarter.
Parkway's second drive consumed just 58 seconds, as Smith connected with Landon Younker for an 80-yard scoring strike and a 7-3 lead with 9:37 left in the half.
The Redskins answered with some big-play magic of their own, as Werling hit Laguire from 53 yards out to regain the lead 10-7. But it was short lived. Devon Crouch returned the ensuing kickoff 73 yards to the St. Henry 20, setting up a one-yard run by Smith for a 14-10 lead with 4:17 left in the half.
Werling and fellow sophomore Jack Huelsman shared the quarterback duties for most of the night, and Huelsman capped a very efficient drive by the Redskins with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Hayden Boeckman for a 17-14 lead with 24.6 seconds left in the half.
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
Parkway quarterback Fletcher Smith dives for extra yardage after St. Henry's Gavyn Lange (7) tripped him up.
But the second-quarter fireworks weren't over yet. Logan Green gathered the ensuing kickoff, headed for the sidelines and outraced everyone for a 92-yard touchdown return.
"Logan Green and Devon Crouch are playmakers," Circle said. "Big time players make big time plays in big games, and that's what they did."
"Kickoffs, big plays, all those things - you can't give up those and win in the MAC," Luthman added.
The Redskins finished with 459 yards of total offense, led by Werling, who rushed for 180 yards and threw for 109. Huelsman finished with 143 yards passing.
Smith had a big night for the Panthers, completing 10-of-14 passes for 189 yards.
"We were just pushing our kids right now," Circle added. "We don't talk about the scoreboard. We don't talk about wins or losses. We talk about playing our best ball at the end of the year and we talk about our culture."
Both St. Henry and Parkway will be on the road next Friday facing unbeaten foes. The Redskins will renew their annual rivalry at Coldwater, while the Panthers travel to Versailles.
