Parklane Academy fell behind 38-0 at halftime against the No. 1-ranked AAA team in MAIS football Friday night and could not generate much offense. The Pioneers lost at Jackson Prep 51-14.
Cole Smith was the bright spot for Parklane (3-5, 1-1), with 22 carries for 140 yards and two touchdowns from 55 yards and 1 yard. He also had one reception for 6 yards.
“Cole ran the ball hard,” Parklane head coach Brian Stutzman said. “He’s been steady for us. He’s got the majority of the carries. He has done a good job all year.”
Quarterback Brandt Watson was 1 of 4 passing for 6 yards and two interceptions. Logan LaCoste led Parklane with nine tackles.
The Pioneers turned the ball over seven times and the head coach said Jackson Prep took advantage of every mistake.
“They’re the best team in the state in the private school association, probably one of the top teams in the classifications,” Stutzman said.
Stutzman hopes his team can gain something positive from the loss.
“Taking from the experience last night, they can learn, if they haven’t learned already the importance of ball control,” Stutzman said.
Parklane concludes the regular season with three district games, which will determine whether or not it makes the playoffs.
The Pioneers host Copiah Academy at 7 p.m. Friday.
“We’re just going to put that behind us and try to come back out this week and get on a little roll of winning,” Stutzman said. “We’ve got three conference games in a row. We’ve got to try to win each to secure a spot in the playoffs.”
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chris prine, a correspondent for the Enterprise-Journal, contributed to this report.
