Lancers take lead in Coastal League Standings

by Mike Gonzales

Bus #43 pulls into the dirt parking lot of Granite

Hills High School. The lights are on, the JV is

playing, the varsity teams are getting ready, and the

scene is set for an amazing night of Parker football.

The 6-1 Francis Parker Lancers got of the bus that

night and were more than ready to play the 6-1-1

Christian High Patriots.

A stiff, cool breeze hit the

players as soon as they got off the bus. Walking over

to the sidelines they Varsity noticed that the

young-uns of the JV were holding their own and were up

by one point at the half. The JV was able to pull of

the victory and the Varsity was ready to get the show

on the road.

The game began with Parker kicking off, and the

defense was able to stop Christian quickly. Ball

control was extremely important, and the Parker

offense took the field hoping to do just that. They

did, a ten-play drive ensued and Gino Gordon, from 1

yard out, pounded the ball into the end zone. Ian Yoder

came through, as he often does with the extra point

and Parker had the lead, 7-0.

This drive was the only

one the Lancers had in the first quarter.

Parker kicked off again to the waiting Patriots, and

this time the defense took a little bit longer to stop

the Christian offense. 13 plays later, Christian was

forced to attempt a field goal from 25 yards out. The

kick missed wide right and Parker found themselves

with the ball for only the second time early in the

2nd Quarter.

The second Parker offensive drive of the evening was

very similar to the first. The offensive line made

holes for running backs Gino Gordon and Zack Pavel,

and quarterback Johnny Harari was able to hook up with

wide receiver Preston Cavignac for a 24-yard pass. The

drive ended with another running touchdown from Gino

Gordon from four yards out. Extra point good, Parker

up 14-0.

The ball was kicked off for the third time, and once

again the Parker Defense stopped the Christian

offense. Christian was forced to punt to Parker. The

punt headed into Parker territory and was fair caught

be Preston Cavignac on the 39-yard line. Parker was

not able to get things going on their third offensive

possession, so in came the punt team. Wet field

conditions made snapping difficult and Parker was

unable to get the punt off. Christian took over with

great field position, and with their newfound momentum

was able to drive down 28 yards and score from one

yard out. Their extra point was good and the score was

now 14-7 Parker.

With the tide totally shifted Parker had to regroup

fast. And that's exactly what they did. With a little

more than a minute left in the half, Parker had the

ball again. But somehow, someway the Lancers were able

to drive the ball 70 yards down the field in two plays

and score. The two plays had wide receiver Preston

Cavignac complete a 50-yard pass to Larry Ayers , and

Johnny Harari completing a 20 yard touchdown pass to

Larry Ayers. And just like that the momentum was back

on Parker's side, and at halftime the score was 21-7

Parker.

The second half played out to be a possession game.

The ball was given back and forth to both teams, but

Parker was able to sustain a few time consuming drives

and in doing so were able to run down the clock. Gino

Gordon busted through the offensive line in the fourth

quarter for a 34-yard touchdown run, his third of the

game. Bringing the score to 28-7, Parker. This is how

it would end, the Parker defense played an amazing

game and the Parker offense for the most part had its

way with the Christian defense.

Gino Gordon showed who was the better running back on

the field with 161 yards and 3 touchdowns on his 29

carries. Zack Pavel finished with 69 yards on 9

carries. Johnny Harari ended the evening 7-12 with 139

yards passing and 1 touchdown. Larry Ayers was the

receiving leader of the night with four catches, one

touchdown and 90 yards. Preston Cavignac wasn't able

to get a touchdown, but had a great night

none-the-less, with three catches at crucial times and

one amazing 50-yard throw.

The now 7-1 Lancers will play the Bishops Knights at

home next Friday night. Bishops is definitely a team

that cannot be over looked and the game will be

another chapter in what history has shown to be an