The Parkwood Rebels put on one of their most dominant performances in recent history, on Friday, with a 49-7 victory over the Forest Hills Yellow Jackets. Early in the first, Parkwood was forced to punt, and after a string of first downs, Forest Hills was in position to score. The Rebels quickly racked up three backfield tackles that would set the tone for the rest of the match up. With great field position, and just over three minutes left in the first, senior Sametrius Drakeford lit up the scoreboard with a touchdown run that made the score 7-0. The Rebels dismantled the Forest Hills game plan early on, and Parkwood’s score continued to grow.

The score was 14-0 after Parkwood senior Daniel Morrison ran for a 14 yard touchdown. Just two minutes later, and Forest Hills had cut the lead in half. At 14-7, the Yellow Jackets intercepted a pass and returned it to the Rebel 30-yard line. They moved quickly into the red zone, but couldn’t move the Parkwood defense. The Forest Hills field goal attempt was blocked and returned past mid-field. With under a minute left in the half, junior Makiya Evans took a short pass more than 40 yards for the Rebels’ third score of the night.

Forest Hills received the ball as the second half began, but found themselves continuously unable to convert. A punt and a turnover on downs gave Parkwood two more tries at the goal, and they capitalized on both. Rushing touchdowns by seniors Sametrius Drakeford and Brock Cain made the score 35-7, at the end of three.

Drakeford scored on another short run, with just over nine minutes to go in the game. After another defensive stop by Parkwood, junior Austin Burns ran a quarterback keeper from the 47-yard line, making the final score 49-7.

Parkwood head coach Tim Speakman credits Friday’s win to physicality on the front lines and hard work at practice. He said that his team’s understanding of offensive and defensive concepts has played a major role in their ability to succeed. This week, Speakman said, they will focus on ensuring that all three phases of their game, offense, defense and special teams, are in top shape for their upcoming contest at home, against Buford.