Arendell Parrott head football coach Matt Beaman gives one final speech to his graduating seniors after falling in the 8-man state championship game against Raleigh Grace Christian. Photo by Laieke Abebe/Neuse News.

Publisher’s note: Watch the full Neuse News Game of the Week, presented by Nathan Perry Realty, featuring Raleigh Grace Christian at Arendell Parrott Academy below.

Needing an extra point to tie the state championship game late in the fourth, Arendell Parrott decided to go for it all. Unfortunately, they didn’t get the result they hoped for despite battling from behind for most of the night. 

After scoring what looked to be the tying touchdown with 70 seconds left in regulation, the Patriots fell one yard short on the ensuing two point conversion and fell to Raleigh Grace Christian 34-33 on Saturday. A great crowd at Hodges Field in Kinston saw the Patriots erase a 21-point second half deficit to tie the game in the fourth quarter.

Despite that, the Eagles (8-3) would answer with the winning points with 8:31 left in the game and they managed to hold off the Patriots (8-3) last gasp attempt to win their third title in five years. Instead, it’s Grace Christian who made the playoffs for the first time in school history and then finished it with their first ever state championship in football.

“We have to give (APA) a lot of credit,” Eagles head coach Keith Boutwell said. “Coach (Matt) Beaman’s program is the class of 8-man football in this state and we’re trying to emulate what they’ve done over the last several years. They had a lot of key injuries tonight, but so did we and we were able to battle all night long. I can’t say enough about my team’s effort tonight and they’re so deserving of this championship.”

Blake Smith took most of the workload with starting running back Trey McLawhorn sidelined due to a knee injury in the semifinals. The senior fullback’s nine-yard rushing touchdown opened the scoring for the Patriots. It looked like they would score again after recovering the ensuing onside kick, but they ended up turning the ball over on downs.

That stop on the second series was the momentum shift the Eagles needed and they scored 21 unanswered points to end the first half. Isaiah Anderson answered the Patriots opening drive with a 63-yard touchdown of his own to take a 7-6 lead late in the first quarter.

On a fourth and 19 from the Patriots 41 yard-line, quarterback Jacob Hukins found Kasey Gower for a huge passing touchdown to add to their lead. Then, on the final play of the first half, Hukins found Anderson for a 74-yard score and what was an early deficit turned into a two-possession lead at halftime.

Grace Christian would recover Arendell Parrott’s onside kick attempt and score two plays into the second half. Hukins’ three-yard rushing touchdown made it 27-6 and things looked bleak for the Patriots. 

However, coach Beaman’s team has fought through adversity all season. They dug deep and found their way back into the contest with some big plays on special teams and defense. 

Smith’s second rushing touchdown made it 27-12 and then great kickoff coverage forced the Eagles to start from their own four. Two plays later, the Patriots forced a safety making it a two-possession game again.

The Patriots would open the fourth quarter with another Smith rushing touchdown and all of a sudden, a classic was on in Kinston. They would recover yet another onside kick and march down the field to tie the game this time with Smith catching an 11-yard strike from freshman quarterback Wilkes Thomas.

Despite allowing the Patriots to come all the way back and tie the game, the Eagles remained calm. A quick drive led to Hukins finding Gower again for the go-ahead score. Grace Christian had a chance to ice the game with a field goal attempt, but it was blocked and it gave the Patriots one last chance to tie/win the game.

On fourth and 11 with their season on the line, Thomas found Morgan McPhaul for a 33-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to one. This led to coach Beaman opting to go for two instead of kicking the extra point to tie. A direct snap to Smith was stuffed by the Eagles defense sending the away fans into a big uproar.

“My guys were so resilient all year,” coach Beaman said. “To come out and play as bad of a first half as we’ve played all season, fall behind, and be that close to a championship says a lot about my team’s character. It’s heartbreaking, but we’re going to come back in on Monday and get back to work for next season.”

All the Eagles had to do was recover the last ditch onside kick attempt and take two knees. From there, the celebration of a historic season was on as Grace Christian capped off their first state title with a goal line stand.

Arendell Parrott graduates an incredible senior class: McLawhorn, Smith, Reynolds Barringer, Jonah Beaman, Weaver Sumrell, Hunter Blythe, and Dylan Faulkner. However, there is a bright future for Beaman and his team with Thomas, McPhaul, and Nick Harrison among the returning players.

“We’re definitely going to miss this senior class,” coach Beaman added. “I’ve got a son of my own and if he grows up to be like these seniors, I’ll have done a good job. They’re great football players and even better young men. I’m so proud to have been their football coach.”

Grace Christian 34, Arendell Parrott 33

Grace Christian       7           14         6          7 — 34    

Parrott Academy    6            0          8          19 — 33

First Quarter

P—Blake Smith 9 run (Run failed), 7:51

GC—Isaiah Anderson 63 run (Landon Lauffer kick), 2:28

Second Quarter

GC—Jacob Hukins-Kasey Gower 63 pass (Lauffer kick), 4:47

GC—Hukins-Anderson 74 pass (Lauffer kick), :00

Third Quarter

GC—Hukins 3 run (Kick failed), 11:35

P—Smith 1 run (Run failed), 6:43

P—GC team run for safety, 5:52

Fourth Quarter

P—Smith 16 run (Pass failed), 11:08

P—Wilkes Thomas-Smith 11 pass (Harrison kick), 9:21

GC—Hukins-Gower 49 pass (Lauffer kick), 8:31

P—Thomas-Morgan McPhaul 33 pass (Run failed), 1:10

                             GC            P

First Downs          8             32

Rushes-yards  19-215   62-292

Passing             8-11-1    22-33-1

Passing yards     187          252

Total yards          402         544

Punts-avg.         1-18.0       0-0

Penalties             8-40        8-60

Fumbles-lost       0-0          1-0

Individual statistics

RUSHING— Grace Christian: Torrey Brown 7-79, Jacob Hukins 7-73, Isaiah Anderson 5-63. Arendell Parrott: Blake Smith 25-143, Morgan McPhaul 24-127, Wilkes Thomas 13-22.

PASSING— Grace Christian: Hukins 8-11-1, 187. Arendell Parrott: Thomas 20-31-1, 211; Nick Harrison 2-2-0, 41.

RECEIVING — Grace Christian: Kasey Gower 2-90, Isaiah Anderson 2-86, Britton Kilby 3-8, Brown 1-3. Arendell Parrott: McPhaul 8-103, Harrison 8-64, Smith 3-44, Jonah Beaman 3-41.