Parker powers Parkview past Hall

LITTLE ROCK PARKVIEW 31, LITTLE ROCK HALL 6

Little Rock Hall scored on the game’s first play from scrimmage Thursday night, but it was all downhill for the Warriors from there.

Led by senior running back Cameron Parker and senior quarterback Berry Lawrence, Little Rock Parkview took command in the second quarter and pulled away to a 31-6 victory at Scott Field.

Hall started its first possession on its 34. Senior receiver Justice Spencer caught a pass from junior quarterback Melvin Walker in the flat, 5 yards downfield, and outraced Parkview’s defense to the goal line for a 66-yard touchdown and a 6-0 lead just 22 seconds into the game.

Parkview (2-8, 1-6 7A/6A Central) responded quickly, using a seven-play drive capped by Parker’s 31-yard touchdown run with 9:47 left in the first quarter.

“I’m never happy,” Parkview Coach William Hardiman said. “I’m going to be super negative sometimes, though I try not to. What I did like is that we persevered. We hung in there, and we done what we supposed to do.

“Hall’s not a bad team. They’re much improved.”

Parker rushed for 131 yards and 3 touchdowns on 21 carries. He also caught 2 passes for 48 yards.

“I’ll tell you what, they have some good athletes,” Hall Coach Tim Scarborough said.

Hall (0-9, 0-7) was led by Walker, who completed 6 of 11 passes for 93 yards. Senior running back Patrick Rowland led all Hall rushers with 42 yards on eight carries.

After Parkview stopped an eight-minute drive by Hall in the first quarter, the Patriots took over at their 33 and scored on a 10-yard run by Parker that was set up in part by a 22-yard pass from Lawrence to Parker.

“The thing we have to do is we have to learn how to sustain a drive,” Scarborough said. “We have to keep from shooting ourselves in the foot.”

Parkview added two more scores in the final 1:09 of the half, the first on a 1-yard sneak by Lawrence and the second on a 2-yard run by Parker that gave Parkview a 28-6 lead.

Parkview cleared its bench in the second half, content with a 37-yard field goal by sophomore Renaldo Gomez late in the third quarter.

“Parker’s been coming through for us all year, him and Lawrence,” Hardiman said. “They been playing hard. I mean, it’s been a rough year. We’re looking forward to the playoffs, playing a couple of teams that are about our speed.”

NO. 5 CONWAY 21, LITTLE ROCK CATHOLIC 14

Sophomore quarterback Breylin Smith completed 8 of 18 passes for 142 yards and 1 touchdown and ran for another score as Conway (8-2, 6-1 7A/6A-Central) held off Little Rock Catholic (5-5, 4-3) at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

The Wampus Cats used a 25-yard touchdown pass from Smith to senior wide receiver Sidney Moore to take a 21-7 lead with 7:08 left in the game.

Catholic junior utility back D.J. Brown followed with a 7-yard touchdown run, but the Rockets couldn’t get any closer.

Brown finished with 183 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 35 carries. Moore finished with seven receptions for 105 yards.

Moore gave Conway a 7-0 second-quarter lead when he returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown. Smith then ran 3 yards to give Conway a 14-0 third-quarter lead.

Brown scored Catholic’s first touchdown on a 3-yard run in the third quarter.

Conway junior tailback Karlil Johnson ran 16 times for 114 yards. Catholic senior quarterback Zach Pinter completed 17 of 31 passes for 169 yards.