Cavs shut out at Parker
BIRMINGHAM – Once the ball began rolling downhill, it was difficult to stop.
Parker High School picked up momentum after a sluggish first quarter and rolled to a 54-0 victory over John Carroll on Thursday night at Major Brown Memorial Stadium.
“We made critical mistakes in critical times and then they multiply,” John Carroll head coach Logan Colafrancesco said.
Neither team dented the scoreboard in the first quarter, but Parker (2-1) scored four touchdowns in the second quarter and controlled the rest of the contest after taking a 27-0 lead into the halftime break.
John Carroll (0-4) had a couple opportunities to keep the game within reach. Lawrence Johnson recovered a fumble at the Parker 20-yard line in the first quarter, but the Cavs turned the ball over on downs. In the second quarter, they drove the ball inside the 20 again, but stalled out again.
The Cavs’ only scoring opportunity in the second half came as a result of a 58-yard pass to D’Wuan Williams, who beat the defender, caught the pass over his shoulder and scampered to the 3-yard line. But the Cavs gained just two yards in the following three plays and fumbled it away on fourth down.
“We’re having a hard time in the red zone,” Colafrancesco said.
Parker did almost all of its damage on the ground, as the Thundering Herd piled up nearly 400 rushing yards. Quarterback Antonius Bufford gained 73 yards and scored on four of his nine carries. William Elom toted the ball 14 times, picking up a game-high 183 yards and scoring a pair of touchdowns. Jekovan Rhetta gained 113 yards on 10 carries, scoring once.
Any success John Carroll did have early on was through the air. Quarterback Nicholas Sellers completed 14-of-30 passes for 128 yards. Williams finished with 76 receiving yards and Ethan Cull caught four balls for 48 yards.
“I thought we threw the ball well at times,” Colafrancesco said. “I thought we protected pretty good. Our receivers caught the ball well. Nicholas played pretty good, he made good decisions.
Aaron Mason led the ground game for John Carroll with 70 yards on 17 carries.
With guys like Sam Reed, Gabe Wood, Sam Lynch and Zane Boackle all out due to injury, a team already undermanned was simply outmatched at times on Thursday, as the Cavs fell to 0-2 in Class 5A, Region 4 play.
“The only thing you can do is get the film and just get better,” Colafrancesco said.
John Carroll will look to pick up its first win next week against winless Woodlawn, as the Cavs celebrate homecoming.
To purchase photos from the game, click here.