Nov 8

Nov 8 Parrott Academy faces upstart Grace Christian for NCISAA Division I 8-man state championship

Parrott Academy head coach Matt Beaman talks with his team after a semifinal-round victory over Faith Christian of Rocky Mount. Photo by Rudy Coggins / Neuse News.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Join Graham Hill and Parker Mitchell for the Neuse News Game of the Week, presented by Nathan Perry Realty this Saturday at 7:00 p.m. on Facebook Live. Special thanks to our sponsors Magic Mile Screenprinting, Lenoir Community College, DEPS - Down East Protection Systems, LJ Electrical Co., and Dempsey’s Drugs.

Grace Christian-Raleigh head football coach Keith Boutwell tweeted on social media that he expects an epic battle against perennial football powerhouse Arendell Parrott Academy.

The tweet read: "We're going to the state championship. David vs. Goliath."

Fate certainly belongs to Goliath. The Patriots are making their 10th appearance in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I 8-man state finals.

Grace - a fifth-year program - is making its first-ever trip.

Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Hodges Field.

"Let's remind them very early we're Goliath," Beaman said. "We need to hit them in the mouth from the word 'go.' We need to jump on them. They're going to say 'here it goes again, the same Parrott team that we play every year. They always end up getting us.'"

Oh, but Goliath has an Achilles' heel - no Trey McLawhorn.

The senior running back endured a season-ending knee injury in the closing minutes of last week's shootout win over Faith Christian of Rocky Mount. His backup, Morgan McPhaul, must transition from a few snaps into a full-fledge starter as the Pats seek their fourth state title in school history.

Beaman called his offense in for a meeting earlier this week and explained that if they collectively step it up, they can compensate for McLawhorn's absence. McPhaul, a sophomore, has rushed for just over 200 yards and tallied four touchdowns. Backfield mate Blake Smith can expect more touches.

Quarterback Wilkes Thomas may throw the ball around the park a little more this week. The freshman has tallied 1,720 yards and spread the wealth among six receivers. He threw a pair of touchdown passes to both Nick Harrison and Jonah Beaman against Faith.

"I told the line you're going to have to block a second longer," coach Beaman said. "It's going to be a group effort to replace Trey. I think if the guys rise to the challenge, we can do that."

Beaman says the top-seeded Patriots (8-2 overall) face the most athletic team in the state. The Eagles (7-2) average 44.7 points a game and collect 470 yards of total offense each outing.

They scored 36 against APA on Oct. 4.

"They have some athletes that you can have everybody in the right spot and they still make a play," said Beaman, who was named the Big 8 Conference coach of the year.

"We'll have to play a great game defensively and play our assignments ... have eight hats around the ball every time."

Defense saved the Patriots a week ago. The unit recovered two fourth-quarter fumbles that led to touchdowns. The miscues help boost their season-long turnover margin to a mind-boggling plus-27.

Seniors Dylan Faulkner paces the defense with 96 stops. Sophomore Wyatt Powley is next with 65, followed by Charles Manning (64) and senior Hunter Blythe (63).

The Patriots have been upbeat all week and believe they can win. The players escorted students to class Thursday morning and extended invitations for Saturday's game.

"We're telling people your turnout will give us a true home field advantage," Beaman said. "We need a loud crowd. When Grace walks in here, we need it to be an environment they've never seen before. If they come in here and see the type of atmosphere we can truly have, that will be a big advantage for us."