Parkway slips past Hahnville late
Published 1:45 am Saturday, November 17, 2012
By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur
BOUTTE — Parkway quarterback Brandon Harris’ fourth quarter 11-yard rushing touchdown with 3:23 remaining proved to be the winning points as Parkway edged host Hahnville, 31-28, in a Class 5A regional round playoff game.
Seventh-seeded Parkway moves to 11-1 and advances to the state quarterfinals to face Barbe. Hahnville, the 23rd seed, finishes 6-5.
The victors overcame a monster night by Hahnville’s Sergio Medina, who rushed for four touchdowns. His final scoring run came midway through the fourth quarter and put Hahnville ahead 28-24.
But Harris was a thorn in Hahnville’s side all night. He accounted for three scores and over 150 total yards between passing and rushing.
“He’s a great player,” said Valdin. “He made some big plays. Every time we scored, they came back and answered. Every single time.”
Parkway led 17-7 at halftime.
Medina scored from 14 yards out in the third quarter and Craig Ford’s extra point cut the Panthers’ lead to 17-14.
Harris answered for Parkway, dialing up Corey Hamilton for a 20-yard score to push it back to 24-14.
But the Tigers rallied via a pair of Medina scores from 17 and two yards out to make it 28-24 in favor of Hahnville.
Stacy McCray and Harris scored rushing touchdowns in the first half for Parkway. Avery Shoebridge made a 25-yard field goal for the Panthers.
“We had a costly turnover in the first half that cost us a chance to take the lead,” said Valdin. “We played better in the second half and really got our run game and pass game going together.
“But defensively, we gave up too many big plays in the second half.”
Valdin was proud of his team for the season it put together, however. Hahnville began this season 0-4 for the first time ever in Valdin’s tenure with the school. The Tigers responded by winning six straight games, including a sweep of district 8-5A and a playoff win at St. Paul’s.
“I’m proud of our kids,” he said. “The seniors leaving led us to back-to-back state championships. They earned four wins over Destrehan. They’ve got a lot to be proud of.”
