PM Gridders Prevail, 35-14

PM Gridders Prevail, 35-14 Blues Absorb Blows, Overcome Pioneers

The Parry McCluer football team, fresh off a 55-0 romp of Stonewall Jackson and the annual bye week, took a couple of punches from visiting Fort Chiswell last Friday night in Buena Vista, but the Blues answered each time to post their fourth win of the season, a 35-14 victory over the Pioneers on Bobby Williams Field.

It was the visitors who drew first blood in this one. After the Blues (4-1) went threeand- out to start the game, the Pioneers (3-2) marched 51 yards in just five plays to crack the scoreboard. Ethan Martin scored on a 26-yard touchdown run, and when Brayden Billings booted the PAT kick, Fort Chiswell held a 7-0 lead with 7:48 to play in the opening quarter.

The Blues absorbed that blow, however, and answered with a scoring drive of their own. A 7-play drive culminated with Nathan Glass’ 5-yard TD run, with Sean O’Connor’s kick knotting the score with 5:24 to play in the first period.

Then, early in the second quarter, Glass passed to Peyton Montgomery for a 7-yard touchdown, putting the finishing touches on a 9-play drive to put the Blues in front. O’Connor added the extra-point kick to put PM on top, 14-7.

Friday was a big night for Glass. The PM quarterback completed seven of his 11 pass attempts for 151 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also carried the ball 10 times to add 52 rushing yards to his total, contributing two more touchdowns with his legs. Add to that his defensive effort, which saw him record 4 ½ tackles and an interception.

For the game, the Blues finished with 369 yards of total offense, which included 218 yards on the ground. Jacob Shafer was the PM leader in that department, finishing with 118 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.

Shafer’s touchdown came from nine yards out with 5:49 remaining before halftime and capped a drive that covered 61 yards in just five plays. The march began with a pass from Glass to Parker Snider for 38 yards, and when O’Connor added his third PAT kick, the Blues enjoyed a 21-7 advantage.

The Pioneers landed another punch to start the second half. With Billings doing most of the damage running from the QB position, Fort Chiswell went 65 yards in eight plays to cut the Parry McCluer lead to seven points, 2114. Billings scored the TD on a 27-yard scamper and booted the extra point with 7:18 to play in the third.

Billings provided the bulk of the offense for the Pioneers. The senior finished the game with 143 yards on 24 carries and the touchdown.

And once again, the Blues responded to the Fort Chiswell touchdown. Sparked by a 13yard run by Shafer and a 34-yard completion from Glass to Jase Barger, the Blues drove to the Fort Chiswell 1-yard line. Glass dove over from there, and O’Connor’s kick extended the PM lead to 28-14.

Barring Fort Chiswell’s two scoring drives, the Parry McCluer defense held the visitors in check.

The touchdown jaunts accounted for 116 yards for Fort Chiswell; outside of those two drives, however, the Pioneers ran 35 plays, mustering only 38 yards and two first downs.

In addition to Glass’ defensive efforts, the Blues also got standout defensive performances from Snider and Shafer. Snider finished the game as Parry McCluer’s leading tackler, with three solo stops and nine assists, while recording a half-tackle for loss. Shafer had three solos, seven assists, one-and-a-half tackles for loss and a pass breakup.

The Blues capped the scoring when Glass and Barger hooked up for a 27-yard TD pass with 1:46 to play, and O’Connor kicked his fifth PAT for the final score.

With the victory, the Blues improved to 4-1 overall heading into next Friday night’s Pioneer District opener. PM will entertain Narrows in that first district contest; kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

FC 7 0 7 0 14 PM 7 14 7 7 35 RUSHING FC – Billings 24-143, Martin 9-24, Alley 1- (-1), Maxwell 2- (-7), Team 2- (-18). Totals 38-141. PM – Shafer 12-118, Glass 10-52, Brockenbrough 1346, Barger 4-13, Team 3- (-11). Totals – 42-218.

PASSING FC – Alley 1-3-8-0-0, Billings 1-7-5-0-1. Totals 2-10-13-0-1. PM – Glass 7-11-151-2-1. RECEIVING FC – Maxwell 2-13. PM – Snider 3-71, Barger 2-61, Shafer 1-12, Montgomery 1-7.