Sports
South Heats up in Second Half of Early Defensive Struggle
< < Back to south-heats-second-half-early-defensive-struggleDefense wins championships…and rivalry games. A scoreless first half would indicated that this was the message preached all week to both teams leading up to Friday’s annual matchup between Parkersburg and Parkersburg South. But in a difficult game for both sides, South’s offense surged in the second half; this was just enough for them to secure a 17-0 victory over their rivals from the north.
Midway through the third quarter, Patriots running back Jacob Douglass punched in a four yard run to cap a 73 yard scoring drive and put Parkersburg South up 7-0. From there, the momentum never left South’s side, as they slowly mounted their lead while conceding nothing to Parkersburg.
The run game was solid for Parkersburg South, as QB Tyler Bolen completed only four passes for 61 yards, managing the offense. Jessiah Fickiesen lead the charge for the Patriots with 86 yards on 15 carries. Wing Back Jordan Quiocho added 75 yards on 12 carries of his own, and Douglass accumulated 66 yards on 12 carries along with the go ahead score in the third.
GG Player of the Year candidate Alex Ash had a miserable night, connecting on 10 of his 26 passes for 98 yards and an interception. South’s defense pressured him consistently, sacking him five times and tightening when Parkersburg crossed the 50-yard line.
Overall, the Big Red offense failed to capitalize on occasionally good field position, great first half defense, and a first quarter fumble recovery that stalled a Patriots drive that crossed into Parkersburg territory.
Parkersburg was shorthanded coming into the game with six key players sidelined. Starting running back Adam Lindamood entered the game in the second half but failed to provide a spark for Parkersburg with only 34 yards.