NAZARETH – When you looked at the calendar, this game was one you wanted to circle. Both teams entered Friday night with a 4-0 record. There was a lot of hype and talent for both teams heading into Friday night. But the biggest star of the game, Peyton Falzone, had to watch from the sidelines, after suffering a season ending injury last weekend.
“It was hard to watch from the sidelines,” said Falzone. “I wanted to be out there with my brothers and compete.”
Parkland’s quarterback Finn Coen made a statement on the Trojans’ first drive. His 51-yard run set up the first score of the game and ignited Parkland to a 42-6 win over Nazareth Area at Andrew S. Leh Stadium Friday night.
“We talked in the locker room about flipping the switch,” said Parkland Head Coach Tim Moncman. “We got to start fast tonight and I thought we did a good job on the offensive line tonight.”
The Trojans kept that early momentum throughout the first half. TJ Lawrence had a four-yard touchdown run. Naquan Thomason blocked a Blue Eagle punt. Domenic Martrich picked it up and went 16 yards for the score. Parkland led 14-0 after one quarter.
The Trojans added two more touchdowns in the second quarter. Coen threw a dart to TJ Lawrence for a 26-yard touchdown pass and Liam Spang bulled his way into the end zone for a four-yard score.
Before the Blue Eagles could get any momentum, it was 28-0 Trojans with 7:52 remaining in the first half.
In his first start at quarterback, Cooper Madson settled in and before halftime made a perfect pass to Matt Leluga who made a spectacular one-handed catch for a 21-yard touchdown. It was all the more amazing since early in the game he had hurt his hand which required stitches.
At Halftime it was Parkland 28, Nazareth 6. Parkland continued their momentum, scoring two more touchdowns. Lawrence added a 25-yard touchdown run and Coen hit Blake Nassry for a 25-yard touchdown pass.
With the big lead, both teams brought in the younger players late in the third quarter to finish out the game.
With the win, Parkland improves to 5-0 and Nazareth drops to 4-1. The Trojans are home next weekend against William Allen and the Blue Eagles will try and bounce back with a win on the road against Pleasant Valley.
The Trojans defense held the Blue Eagles to 50 yards rushing tonight. “They tried a lot of stuff and a lot of stuff we haven’t seen before,” said Moncman.”I thought our kids played well and we shut down their running game tonight and that was big.”
Stars of the Game:
Parkland:
TJ Lawrence rushed for 105 yards and 2 TDs and had 2 catches for 37 yards and a TD
Finn Coen passed for 89 yards and 2 TDs
Nazareth:
Cooper Madson passed for 179 yards and a touchdown
Matt Leluga had 5 catches for 69 yards and a touchdown
Scoring Summary:
| Teams | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
| Parkland (5-0) | 14 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 42 |
| Nazareth Area (4-1) | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
1st Quarter
P: TJ Lawrence 4 yard run (Greyson Dancsecs kick good) 3:58
P: Domenic Martrich 16 yard run with blocked punt (Greyson Dancsecs kick good) 2:07
2nd Quarter
P: TJ Lawrence 26 yard pass from Finn Coen (Greyson Dancsecs kick good) 10:06
P: Liam Spang 4 yard run (GreysonDancsecs kick good) 7:52
N: Matt Leluga 21 yard pass from Cooper Madson (kick failed) 4:46
3rd Quarter
P: TJ Lawrence 25 yard run (Greyson Dancsecs kick good) 9:34
P: Blake Nassry 25 yard pass from Finn Coen (Greyson Dancsecs kick good) 2:58