MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- The 5A Parker Thundering Herd defense shut out the 6A Carver-Montgomery Wolverines in the second half to go on to a 41-21 win at the Cramton Bowl on Thursday night. The Parker offense was pretty consistent for most of the night, rolling out over 500 yards of total offense.
"We gave up two big plays in the first half that rocked us a little bit," said Thundering Herd head coach Frank Warren. "We played better in the second half; we have to clean up some mistakes that we made if we want to do something special this year, but I will take it as a win, though."
Carver-Montgomery (3-3, 2-1) moved the ball first in the game. Wolverines quarterback Jayden Tyus hit Christ McCoy on a long pass play inside the Herd red zone. A few plays later, Carver missed on a 41-yard field goal. With 1:22 left in the first quarter, Parker drove the field, and Martez Drake scored on a 12-yard touchdown run for the Herd. On the ensuing kickoff, speedster Mekhi Williams took the kick and ran 82 yards for a Wolverines touchdown. The game was tied at 7-7.
Parker (5-1, 3-0) moved the ball again. This time, a Rakaveon Goldsmith pass to wide receiver Adrian Millhouse down the sideline set the Herd up again. With 8:53 left in the second quarter, Goldsmith scored on a 12-yard touchdown run to give Parker the 14-7 lead midway through the second quarter.
With 6:54 left in the second quarter, Navy commitment Elijah Tarver scored on an 8-yard touchdown run, and now the game was tied at 14-14. Tarver finished the game with 98 yards on 13 carries on the night.
Late in the first half, Parker was deep into their own territory. Goldsmith threw to Jeremiah Jackson behind the line of scrimmage. The ball was dropped, but since it was a backward pass, Jackson picked it up and ran deep into Wolverines territory. A few plays later, Jackson scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to give Parker the 21-14 lead with 4:05 left in the second quarter.
Carver wasn't finished, though, due to their big-play offense. With 2:59 left in the first half, Tyus hit Natorian Green on a slant, and he raced 77 yards for a Wolverines touchdown. That tied the game 21-21 late in the half. The two football heavyweights had traded haymakers. Neither had flinched.
Parker took the ball to start out the second half. The Thundering Herd had a fourth and one at their own 21-yard line. With the punt team ready on the sideline, Coach Warren made a coaching decision that gave his team plenty of momentum. With the jumbo package coming in and Jackson in the wildcat position, 305-pound defensive lineman Jamaine Lewis comes in right behind his right tackle. On the snap, Lewis runs through the hole, wipes out the Wolverines defender, and Jackson races for a 77-yard touchdown. With the touchdown, Parker takes the lead at 28-21 and the momentum.
"We had a lot of fight tonight, and when coach put that game plan in, we just had to execute it," said Thundering Herd RB Jackson. "When the ball is in my hands, you don't know what is going to happen. Coach just told me to get that first down, but I was looking for something bigger than that first down and had to get into the end zone. I just do my job." Jackson finished the game with 138 yards on 20 carries and the three touchdowns.
After that score, it was all Parker. Two interceptions by the defense turned into touchdowns. Joel Olive picked a pass off in the end zone, and Terran Gaines got an interception and returned it for a big Parker play.
With 1:45 left in the third quarter, Jackson scored on a 2-yard touchdown run. His third of the game. Parker led 34-21. With 9:32 left in the fourth quarter, Goldsmith hit Zay Nash for a 27-yard touchdown pass play to give the Herd a 41-21 lead.
Goldsmith finished the game going 16-of-22 passing for 243 yards with a touchdown and a rushing touchdown.
If Parker can clean up the penalties and the defensive lapses, look for the Herd to make a big playoff push the rest of the season. Carver will continue to play in one of the toughest regions in Class 6A as they try to get back into the playoffs this season.
