Arendell Parrott prepares to play top-ranked team in NCISAA

Arendell Parrott practiced Wednesday for the first time since Hurricane Florence. Photo by Junious Smith III / Neuse News

Arendell Parrott is preparing for a Friday contest, and it won’t be an easy one.

On Friday, the Patriots will travel to Courtland, Va. to face Southampton Academy, the No. 1 ranked team in the NCISAA according to MaxPreps. During his time with Parrott, head coach Matt Beaman has gone 5-4 against the Raiders, winning five of his last six match ups, including a 48-6 win at Hodges Field last year.

Despite the success, Beaman said there’s nothing to take for granted with Southampton Academy, especially with his team practicing for the first time since Hurricane Florence on Wednesday.

“It feels good to be out here and bring a sense of normalcy back,” Beaman said. “It’s good for the guys — they’re excited, the coaches are excited and we’re ready to get rolling. (Southampton) is a tough place to play and we’re coming in putting in our offensive and defensive game plan (Wednesday) before our walk through (Thursday). We hope to play Parrott football, execute, hold on to the ball and hope it works out for us.”

APA linebacker and punter Reynolds Barringer said it felt good to play football again.

“It’s been a while, but we need to get back to work against Southampton,” Barringer said. “They’ve been practicing all (this) week and last week, but we’ve just got to get back to the grind.”

The Patriots have also used the break to heal up. Patriots running back/linebacker Trey McLawhorn said he’s taken the time to recover and is ready to make an impact against the Raiders.

“It’s really been a lot of mental things we’ve been working on,” McLawhorn said. “I’ve been hurt for a while, so I’ve been looking to rehab. We’re looking to get back into the swing of things and I can’t wait for Friday.”