Outscored 34-7 in second half, Parkview gets trip to Moultrie

Published 11:07 pm Saturday, November 4, 2023

MOULTRIE — Parkview had a chance to win the Region 4-7A championship when it met Grayson in its Big Orange Jungle last Friday in Lilburn.

And that aspiration was still alive at halftime when the two teams left the field tied 7-7.

But Grayson rolled up 262 yards on the ground and outscored the Panthers 34-7 over the final two quarters to win its eighth region title in the last 10 years.

The Rams will play host to Richmond Hill, the No. 4 team from Region 1, in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs on Friday.

To add insult to injury, Parkview’s loss to Grayson and an unfavorable point differential in the three-way tie for second place with Newton and Archer dropped the Panthers to No. 4 in the final Region 4 standings.

Instead of playing host to 5-5 Richmond Hill on Friday, the Panthers will bus to Moultrie for a first-round meeting 10-0 and Region 1 champion Colquitt County.

Parkview will bring a 7-3 record to Moultrie, where the Panthers last played in 2005.

Colquitt County and Parkview have met seven times, with the Packers winning just twice: 29-9 in the 1998 quarterfinals in Mouiltrie and 31-15 in the 2012 quarterfinals in Lilburn.

In the most recent meeting between the two teams, Parkview eliminated the Packers in the second round of the 2019 playoffs with a 40-21 win in the Jungle.

While the Panthers struggled in their regular-season finale under first-year coach Joe Sturdivant, the Packers cruised past Richmond Hill with a 35-3 victory in a game that was played under a running clock in the fourth quarter.

The Panthers opened the season by winning their first four games before falling at home to Mill Creek.

In the region, Parkview beat South Gwinnett, Newton and Brookwood and lost to Archer by a point and had a 3-1 region record heading into the showdown with Grayson.

The Panthers out-gained Grayson 171-65 in the first half, but scored just one touchdown while dropping a potential scoring pass in the end zone and losing a fumble deep in Rams territory in the second quarter.

It appeared Parkview might have had some momentum, though, driving 65 yards in 13 plays to score on a 1-yard run by quarterback Jaiden Jenkins with 13 seconds left in the first half to tie the game.

But Grayson scored touchdowns on each of its five drives in the second half.

Grayson is on a roll heading into the playoffs having pounded its final two opponents — Archer and Parkview — by identical 41-14 scores.

His first season as the head coach of his high school alma mater has to be bittersweet for Sturdivant, who played on Parkview teams that went 45-0 during his three seasons with the Panthers in 2000-2002. He also played on two Parkview state championship baseball teams.

The Panthers lost their top two running backs — Khyair Spain and Trelain Maddox — to leg injuries and Jenkins hobbled off the field late against Grayson.

Two of the players to watch for the Panthers are wide receiver/defensive back Mike Matthews, who is headed to Tennessee, and defensive back Jalyn Crawford, who has committed to Auburn.

Parkview started playing football in 1976 and has won four state championships, all under head coach Cecil Flowe, and eight region titles.

The program’s overall record is 357-188-1.

Flowe coached the Panthers for 21 seasons, posting a record of 197-67. He has been inducted into the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association and the Gwinnett County Sports halls of fame.

He was followed by Eric Godfree, coached the Panthers for nine years before leaving after last season to take over the North Gwinnett program.

Sturdivant played college football at Southern Methodist University and had several coaching stops before leading the Provident Christian program in 2022.

Colquitt County reserve seat ticket holders can purchase their seats for Friday’s 7:30 p.m. playoff game against Parkview from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6 through Wednesday, Nov. 8 at the Colquitt County High School athletic office.

On Thursday, Nov. 9, all reserved tickets that have not been purchased will go on sale to the public along with general admission tickets.

Reserved seat tickets will be $12 each.

General admission tickets will be available from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6 through Thursday, Nov. 9 and from 8 a.m.-noon on Friday, Nov. 10.

General admission tickets are $8.