Devils runningback breaks out
Workhorse Ari Holmes- Parsons carries it 29 times for 172 yards
TROY, N. Y. » All week, every day, Ari Holmes- Parsons came to practice and told head coach Bob Treacy to get him the ball. It was a part of the prep for a Friday night game against La Salle in which Holmes- Parsons was primed to go off.
“Sowe gave himthe ball,” Treacy said. “Our offensive line blocked pretty well. We’ve got some holes we’ve got to fill there. But Ari’s the guy.”
Holmes- Parsons certainly did get the ball. He got it 29 times to the tune of 172 yards, carrying Columbia, quite literally, to a 21- 20 win over the Cadets. He also had two touchdowns, both before halftime.
He had 18 more carries in Columbia’s second game than the first, when the Blue Devils were shellacked by defending state champion, Troy, 55- 14. The win on Friday marked the first win for new Columbia head coach Bob Treacy, a Capital Region coaching veteran.
“I want to be the dominant player,” Holmes- Parsons said. “I want to be the best player that I can be, on the field and off the field. I like to have the ball in clutch times like this.”
His most clutch play was arguably not either of his two touchdowns. After La Salle had cut the deficit to just one point late in the fourth quarter, Holmes- Parsons had a 60- yard run to get the ball in the red zone.
It gave the Blue Devils great field position and allowed them to just run some precious seconds off the clock and force La Salle into using their remaining timeouts.
“It was important,” Holmes- Parsons said. “I knew I had to get the yardage. I knew it had to be done. So I did it ... We worked hard. Hard work pays off.”
Holmes- Parsons, only a junior, had 5.9 yards per carry, and there was only 51 yards of offense that can’t