OREFIELD – Naquan Thomason did his part last night, running the ball when he got the call and coming up with the key play of the game for the Trojans.
He blocked a punt, recovered the loose ball and took it 18 yards for the touchdown. That gave Parkland a two score lead in the third quarter.
Parkland went on to defeat Freedom 18-7 in a key EPC matchup Friday night at Orefield Middle School.
“I thought our kids showed great effort tonight against a good Freedom team,” said Head Coach Tim Moncman. “They are big and physical up front and we hung in there on offense.”
The Trojans got things going Friday night when Liam Spang scored from 13 yards out on their first possession.
Then Parkland’s defense came up with a turnover and converted it into points. It was Nass Adams picking off a Freedom pass with 7:49 left in the first quarter.
Trojans took over on Freedom’s 30.
It was Finn Coen’s five-yard touchdown pass to Jaren Sanchez that put the Trojans up 12-0 with 5:09 left in the first quarter.
Freedom’s offense started to click in the second quarter. Lashawn Johnson got the big play, busting through the line and going 50-yards for the touchdown run. Nathan Stannard’s kick was good with 6:22 left in the half.
Freedom had more chances to take the lead before halftime. Aidan Dandrea picked off a Trojan pass with 4:36 remaining the first half. But Parkland’s defense came up with a big stop, recovering a fumble with 19 seconds remaining.
The score would stand at 12-7 Parkland leading at halftime.
In the second half, Thomason picked up his game, running the ball while running back T.J. Lawrence was on the sidelines because of cramps.
Thomason finished the night with 58 yards rushing and had a key blocked punt.
“Freedom is a great team and it was a battle tonight,” said Thomason. “I will enjoy this win tonight and work on getting better next week.”
Parkland’s offense sealed the game late by eating up a lot of time off the clock and keeping Freedom’s offense on the sidelines.
Star of the Games:
Freedom
Lashawn Johnson rushed 121 yards and a touchdown
Parkland
Naquan Thomason rushed for 57 yards and a block punt for touchdown (18-yards)
Liam Spang rushed for 38 yards and a touchdown
Scoring summary:
Freedom 0 – 7 – 0 – 0 — 7
Parkland 12 – 0 – 6 – 0 — 18
1st Quarter:
P: Liam Spang 13 yard run (kick blocked) 8:52
P: Jaren Sanchez 5 yard pass from Finn Coen (pass failed) 5:09
2nd Quarter:
FR: Lashawn Johnson 50 yards run (Nathan Stannard kick) 6:22
3rd Quarter:
P: Naquan Thomason 15 yard run with blocked punt (run failed) 7:03