- October 12, 2024
Loading
On the first play from scrimmage against George Jenkins High, the Parrish Community High football team made a statement.
Bulls senior running back Jerone Turner took a handoff from senior quarterback Jackson Volz and zig-zagged his way through the Eagles' defensive line and linebackers, then burst past the Eagles' secondary, not stopping until he was in the end zone for a 54-yard touchdown.
The explosive play was a sign of things to come. The Bulls' offense would punt just once against the Eagles, scoring touchdowns on its six other possessions, in a 43-6 win over George Jenkins (4-5).
The win improved Parrish Community's record to 7-3 and all but guarantees the team a spot in the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 3S playoffs, the brackets for which will officially be announced at 10 a.m. Sunday. If selected, it will be the first playoff berth in the program's history.
In the win over George Jenkins, the Bulls looked like a team ready for the challenge of the postseason. The Eagles' defense offered little resistance against Parrish's balanced attack. Turner would add an 18-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, while Volz would throw two touchdown passes — a 17-yard pass to senior Lane Tomlinson and a three-yard pass to sophomore Kymistrii Young. Tomlinson (one yard) and junior Jermaine Edwards (15 yards) would also add rushing touchdowns.
On defense, Bulls senior defensive back Eloy Serrata picked off a pass from George Jenkins junior quarterback Cameron Turner. The Bulls also stopped the Eagles on a foruth and 11 from the Bulls' 21 yard line in the second quarter. Following the Parrish's lone punt of the game, the team's defense recorded a safety, gang tackling Eagles running back Reagan Korlacki in the end zone.
The game was played under a running clock for the majority of the second half. After the win, Bulls players were already thinking about what comes next.
"We're putting the area on notice," Volz said. "This isn't the old Parrish anymore. We're growing higher and higher. We are improving every week. We come in Monday through Thursday and practice hard, then we come out here at game time and show what we have got."