The Parkway Panthers defeated the Hahnville Tigers 37-31 in overtime in the second round of the non-select Division I playoffs Friday night at Bobby Marlow Field at Preston Crownover Stadium,
Parkway (11-1) will host Ouachita Parish in the quarterfinals Friday night. The Lions (8-4) upset No. 3 Destrehan 21-19 in the second round.
Parkway and Ouachita Parish scrimmaged in August. Hahnville closed its season 9-3.
During a Thursday interview, Parkway Head Coach Coy Brotherton said he expected Friday night’s game would be a “good” one.
It was a thriller. It may be a cliche, but both teams left it all on the field.
Hahnville won the overtime coin toss and elected to go on defense first.
Braxxton Black carried to the 8 on first down. Then Kaleb Williams rolled to the right and passed back across the field to an open Draiden Davis in the end zone. He made the catch, but the extra-point kick was no good.
On its possession, Hahnville threw an incomplete pass in the right flat on first down but the Panthers were penalized for a hit on the receiver after the play, moving the ball to the 5.
A second down run was stopped for no gain. A third-down pass was dropped in the back of the end zone. The Tigers went back to the same play on fourth down and the pass wasn’t close.
That resulted in a big celebration on Parkway’s side of the field.
The Panthers had to overcome some adversity in the game. Two fumbles helped the Hahnville go from down 17-14 at the half to up 28-17 in the third quarter.
A penalty on their second possession played a big part in a missed scoring opportunity. Hahnville returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown.
“I told our kids on Monday when you get in the playoffs you have to play more perfect every week,” Brotherton said. “I told them after the game we didn’t do that.
“We didn’t play very good tonight. We looked good at times but we made lots of mistakes. We were very fortunate and lucky to get out of there with a win the way we did.
“But that speaks a lot for them, about how hard they played and how they never gave up. Hopefully, you play that bad in the playoffs and win that gives you some hope for next week.”
The offense stepped up when it needed to. Williams had some big runs on the touchdown drive that cut the lead to 28-23. He also threw three touchdown passes..
Antonio Gladney, used mainly at receiver this season, rushed 17 times for 114 yards. He had a two-point conversion catch in the first half and an interception.
Black rushed for 108 yards on 23 carries and scored on two short runs. AJ Johnson rushed for 58 yards on 12 carries.
Gary Burney caught a two-point coversion pass to give the Panthers a 31-28 lead and an 39-yard pass for the Panthers’ first TD. He finished with five catches for 68 yards.
Gabriel Gray had a 49-yard catch.
Freshman Thad Smith made a big field goal just before the half. Mark Copenhaver had a 42-yard punt return before the final touchdown drive.
But the defense that deserves a lot of the credit for the victory.
“The defense made stop after stop, and turnover after turnover,” Brotherton said. “They played well.”
That unit is comprised of linebackers Copenhaver, Brady Prine and Colby Lee, safety Dallas Loche, cornerbacks Gladney, Cam Hines and Peyton Rayner, ends Rod Johnson and Kellin Milhouse and Nate Kemp, and tackles Ravion Poland and KJ Burts.
Hines had a big interception with 1:00 to play. Johnson made his presence felt on offense, catching a 9-yard TD pass in the first quarter to tie the game at 14.
Late in the game it looked like the Tigers were on their way to the go-ahead touchdown. A reception and penalty gave them a first down at the 9.
But the Panthers forced them to keep kick a 22-yard field goal with 2:21 left