Friday September 22nd marks a memorable evening for Parkdale’s football team. The Mighty Panthers delivered a resounding performance, leaving the Northwestern Wildcats in their wake with an astonishing 52-0 victory. This triumph marked Parkdale’s football team’s most significant win since 2009 when they bested the Bladensburg Mustangs with the same commanding score.
Throughout the game, the Panthers displayed an unprecedented level of dominance, executing two touchdown passes, five rushing touchdowns, and even securing a punt return touchdown.
Offensive Coordinator Coach B was quite pleased with the teams overall performance and execution on the field.
“The offensive line did very well blocking, the wide outs ran the patterns well and caught the football, and I saw some maturing in our Quarterback and the running backs ran hard,” said. Coach B. He also hinted towards plans of seeing some of the same morale from the offense in next week’s game. “We are going to try to repeat the same thing and execute our plays a lot better.”
The scoring onslaught for the Panthers commenced in lightning fashion. To start the game, they forced a swift three-and-out from Northwestern, gaining possession within the Wildcats’ territory and in a mere three plays, they etched the first points on the board, courtesy of a 20-yard connection from senior QB(quarterback) Eric Miller to junior RB(running back) Jacob Wilson.
The Panthers continued their dominance on the defensive end, as Wilson’s fumble recovery set the stage for another quick three-play scoring drive. This time, it culminated in a five-yard touchdown run by sophomore Aimar Canales.
“Throughout the game I was just saying ‘don’t let up’ because anything can happen at any moment in the game, and I don’t want to be on the wrong end of the stick,” said Wilson. “So I just kept doing what I do best: making plays.”
The subsequent drive unfolded in a similar defensive fashion, with Wilson intercepting a pass in the middle of the field. This turnover paved the way for yet another short drive for the Panthers, resulting in a touchdown as four plays later, the scoreboard read 20-0, with three minutes remaining in the opening quarter. The remainder of the first half witnessed a consistent narrative: Parkdale’s rapid scoring and Northwestern’s struggle on both sides of the ball.
During this period, the Panthers added to their lead with a one-yard touchdown run by QB Miller, and a 29-yard punt return executed by senior Receiver Erik Hemby,
“All I could think of was scoring,” said Hemby. “Nothing else crossed my mind during the moment. When I caught the ball, I saw open spots in the defense I could run through and score, and that’s exactly what I did.”
Hemby also took a dive into his mindset before each game, ensuring that he always plays at his best.
“Before going into each game I tell myself “play like it’s your last” because one of these days it will be,” he recalled.
Furthermore, a crucial interception by senior Neba Tanda set up Hemby for a five-yard touchdown reception for his second touchdown of the day. This flurry of scoring took the halftime score to an astounding 39-0.
As the Panthers entered the second half, their determination to build on their lead remained unwavering. This mindset translated into another brief offensive drive, with Wilson notching yet another rushing touchdown. Following an extended offensive effort by Northwestern that culminated in a punt, Canales delivered the final blow with a dazzling 56-yard touchdown run, capping off the game at an emphatic 52-0.
“I went past the line of scrimmage and into the second level with Jason leading me but the outside [line]backer and cornerback were coming towards me,” said Canales. “But I saw the sideline open and I ran it up for my second touchdown of the day.”
All three of the players had similar viewpoints on the team’s chances next Saturday against High Point.
“You can expect us as a team to keep the momentum going and from me to do my part,” Wilson promised
Hemby is confident with his future exections on the team and doesn’t plan to slow down now. “You can expect me to score 2 or more touchdowns, leading the team in receiving yards, and leading the team to another victory, ” he explained.
And Canales kept it short and simple expressing the teams hard work and his plans to do his part: “Just to ball out again. We’ve been working all summer so I just have to ball out”.
