Parrott rolls past Raleigh Grace Christian

Arendell Parrott Academy quarterback Reynolds Barringer looks downfield from the pocket during Friday’s game vs. Raleigh Grace Christian. Photo by William ‘Bud’ Hardy / Neuse News

Sandwiched between a huge homecoming victory over a heated rival and an upcoming game with playoff implications against a once-beaten power, Arendell Parrott Academy found itself in a classic trap situation Friday against Raleigh Grace Christian.

Early in the second quarter, it appeared as if the Patriots’ worst fears might be realized.

Mistake-prone APA trailed by a point with 11:28 to go before halftime before exploding for 27 unanswered points in the quarter and 14 more in the second half to roll to a 62-22 win in a contest that was called with 9:04 left due to several roster-depleting injuries suffered by the already short-handed Eagles.

“We came out flat, especially on defense,” Parrott coach Matt Beaman said. “We played with a lack of urgency and they made us pay early on. Fortunately, we righted the ship.”

Grace (1-5) scored on two of its first three possessions and then again on its first possession of the second quarter.

All three TDs came from the right arm of quarterback Britton Kilby, who threw for 88 yards in the first quarter. The 6-4, 180-pound sophomore finished the game 10-of-24 for 181 yards. He was also picked off three times, by Matt Huntley, Reynolds Barringer and Dallas Hill.

Making his first start at quarterback in place of injured starter Zach Vendemia, Barringer starred on offense, completing 4-of-7 passes for 88 yards and a pair of scores to Jonah Beaman from 36 and 29 yards out.

Barringer also ran for 154 yards on 12 carries, including several nifty scrambles after being chased from the pocket.

“Reynolds made good decisions and showed a lot of poise,” Beaman said. “He threw the ball well when we asked him to, and he showed good judgement in knowing when to take off under pressure. He used his quickness to great advantage tonight.”

Barringer was one of three APA runners to eclipse the 100-yard rushing mark.

Shy Thompson led the way with 183 yards on 10 carries, including scoring jaunts of 51, 47 and 45 yards. Trey McLawhorn added 107 yards and a TD on 12 carries. McLawhorn also caught a pair of passes for 23 yards.

With three Grace players suffering game-ending injuries in the first half, both coaches agreed to a running clock in the second half.

The game was finally called after some more Eagles got banged up in the second half.

Despite the shortened contest, the APA offense erupted for 519 yards on the ground and 607 total.

Despite the shaky first quarter and change, Parrott’s defense allowed just 145 total yards (minus-36 rushing), sacked Kilby three times, and forced five turnovers.

The biggest negative was 12 penalties whistled on the Patriots for 140 yards.

“The penalties were frustrating and it’s something we’ve got to clean up,” Beaman said. “On the positive side, we didn’t let those mistakes affect us. We were still able to overcome them and move the ball effectively.”

Barringer will make his second start next week when they Patriots travel to Rocky Mount to face Faith Christian.

The winner will open the state playoffs at home while the visitor will be on the road.

“It’s a huge game, but I’m confident we’ll be ready,” Beaman said. “We definitely can’t afford another slow start like we had tonight.”

Parrott Academy 62, Grace Christian 22

Grace     16            6               0               0—22

Parrott  21            27            7               7—62

First Quarter

P—Reynolds Barringer 44 run (Kolby Jones kick), 11:29

G—Isaiah Anderson 31 pass from Britton Kilby (Anderson pass from Kilby), 10:58

G—Kasey Gower 29 pass from Kilby (Gower pass from Anderson), 5:44

P—Shy Thompson 51 run (Jones kick), 2:58

P—Thompson 47 run (Jones kick), :44.7

Second Quarter

G—Anderson 36 pass from Kilby (pass failed), 11:28

P—Trey McLawhorn 11 run (Jones kick), 8:14

P—Jonah Beaman 36 pass from Barringer (kick failed), 6:12

P—William McPhaul 1 run (Jones kick), 3:42

P—Thompson 45 run (Jones kick), :29.5

Third Quarter

P—Beaman 29 pass from Barringer (Jones kick), 7:56

Fourth Quarter

P—Marquise Loftin-Myers 14 run (Jones kick), 11:39

                                    G               P

First Downs          8               23

Rushes-yards       16--36   45-519 

Passing                    10-24-3                  4-7-0

Passing yards       181         88

Total yards            145         607

Punts-avg.             2-31.5   0-0.0     

Fumbles-lost       2-2           2-1

Penalties                10-92     12-140

Individual Statistics

RUSHING—Grace: Isaiah Anderson 3-14, Blake McCain 2-1, John Leins 2-(minus 6), Brendan Douglas 4-(minus 7), Britton Kilby 4-(minus 21), Team 1-(minus 17). Parrott: Shy Thompson 10-183, Reynolds Barringer 12-154, Trey McLawhorn 12-107, George Cobb 7-41, Matt Huntley 1-17, Marquise Loftin-Myers 1-14, Dallas Hill 1-2, William McPhaul 1-1.

PASSING—Grace: Kilby 10-24-3 181. Parrott: Barringer 4-7-0 88.

RECEIVING—Kasey Gower 5-88, Anderson 4-79, Lucas Pereira 1-14. Parrott: Jonah Beaman 2-65, McLawhorn 2-23.