.jpg)
Big Third Quarter Lifts Green Wave In Pioneer Opener
Parry McCluer High School’s Pioneer District football opener against Narrows was eerily similar to last year’s contest with the Green Wave.
Like last year, Narrows (3-2 overall, 1-0 district) broke open a close game at halftime with a third-quarter explosion to dampen the spirit of PM’s homecoming festivities, 35-13, on Bobby Williams Field in Buena Vista. Last year, the Green Wave outscored PM 37-0 in the third quarter to pull away for a 57-21 win.
After last Friday’s game, PM head coach Jeremiah Brockenbrough said, “At the beginning of the second half, we came out flat. Three big plays were the difference in that ball game.”
The loss snapped PM’s three-game winning streak, as the Blues fell to 4-2 overall and 0-1 in district play.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair. The Fighting Blues began with two long drives. PM took the opening kickoff and used 12 plays and more than five minutes to find the end zone, with junior quarterback Nathan Glass scoring the touchdown from two yards out. Sean O’Connor’s extra-point kick gave the Blues a 7-0 lead. PM then marched 51 yards in nine plays, with Jackson Brockenbrough scoring from a yard away. The point after try was no good, but the Blues had a 13-7 lead with 3:20 to play in the first quarter.
Narrows, on the other hand, took the quick-strike approach. The Green Wave needed just two plays to score its first TD, with Tucker Bryan scoring on a 50-yard run. Then Narrows turned a PM interception into points, using only four plays before Bryan passed to Elijah Knoetze for a 17-yard score. Cooper Helvey added the PAT kicks, two of his five successful extra points, to give the Green Wave a 14-13 advantage with 11:53 remaining before halftime.
That’s the way the score remained until intermission. During the Blues’ homecoming ceremony at halftime, senior Logan Vest was crowned as homecoming queen, while Peyton Montgomery, a senior tight end and defensive end, was named king.
After the break, Narrows put the game away.
The Green Wave, which ran only 15 plays in the first half, opened the third period with a 43yard pass from Bryan to Knoetze, and the pair hooked up again for a 63-yard strike less than two minutes later. Then, with 1:58 to play in the third quarter, Helvey bulled his way into the end zone from a yard away to extend the Narrows lead to 35-13.
“We had them where we wanted them,” noted Brockenbrough of his team’s effort in the first half. “Take away those three plays, and it’s a 14-13 ball game.”
Bryan paced the Narrows offense, piling up 235 yards of total offense. The junior wide receiver turned quarterback completed seven of his 14 passing attempts for 162 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 73 yards and a score on five tries.
Meanwhile, the Blues racked up 168 of their 272 total yards on three first-half drives, including the first two of the contest that resulted in scores. PM recorded just one first down in the third quarter.
“They were sending a linebacker at us pretty hard, and that kind of [hurt] us a little bit,” said Brockenbrough, who noted that the PM offensive line consists of four sophomores in their first year of varsity play. “It was a big game for some young kids.”
Glass paced the PM offense, rushing for 86 yards on 13 carries, though he completed only two of his 13 passing attempts for 30 yards and a pair of interceptions. Jackson Brockenbrough chipped in with 57 rushing yards on 17 tries, while Jacob Shafer had 55 yards on 13 carries.
“They really pressured our quarterback,” Brockenbrough said. “I’m OK with Nathan running; he’s a good runner. But our routes weren’t as crisp, and we had a couple of drops.”
Shafer led PM with four solo tackles and had six tackle assists while Parker Snider led the Blues with nine tackle assists and had two solo tackles.
The Blues will look to rebound when they hit the road for the first time in more than a month, traveling to face Craig County in New Castle. Craig boasts a 5-1 record and opened district play with a 58-0 victory over Eastern Montgomery Friday night for another key Pioneer District game. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
“We have to have a good week of practice,” Brockenbrough said. “We have to let this go and get ready for next week [against Craig County]. We’ve got to pick up the pieces and move forward. We’ll build them back up. If we play the way we’re capable of playing, we’ll be OK.”
