QUITMAN —
Malcolm Parrish found Deric Herring for a 55-yard touchdown pass with seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to carry the Brooks County Trojans past the Monroe Tornadoes, 21-18, on Friday night at Veterans Stadium.
“We don’t quit, we just refuse to quit. They kept working. I think they saw a spark,” Brooks County head football coach Maurice Freeman said. “Sometimes you win ugly, but an ugly or pretty win, it’s the same.”
“It’s a great win on Trojan Field,” Freeman added.
Coming off an impressive five-touchdown performance last week, Parrish led the Trojan offense, finishing with 217 yards passing Friday night, completing 12 of 26 passes against a scrappy Tornado defense.
This non-region matchup featured two of the top signal callers in the state, it turned out to be exactly what was predicted: a battle of the quarterbacks.
Parrish finished the first half with 75 passing yards and 16 rushing yards, while Monroe quarterback Charles Stafford finished the first half with 94 passing yards, completing nine of his 15 passes.
The Trojans got on the scoreboard first, after capitalizing on a high snap on a Monroe punt that sailed over the Tornado punter’s head, placing Brooks County just outside its 20-yard line to start the drive.
Following a couple of effective rushing plays, including an 11-yard rush by senior running back Brandon Golden, the Trojans capped off the 25-yard drive with a 27-yard field goal by kicker Daniel Hodum. The kick gave the Trojans a 3-0 lead.
The Tornadoes responded immediately on their next drive.
Stafford found his favorite receiver, senior Kevin Williams, for a deep 34-yard touchdown catch to give the Tornadoes a 6-3 lead.
Hodum missed a 42-yard field goal in the second quarter. But Hodum wouldn’t disappoint on his next attempt of the game. Halfway through the third quarter, he nailed a 34-yard field goal, tying the game at 6-6.
Again, the Tornadoes responded in quick fashion on their next drive.
Similar to their first touchdown drive, Stafford completed a 32-yard pass to Williams on the first play, then a 33-yard touchdown pass to another Tornado receiver, giving Monroe a 12-6 lead.
Brooks County quickly went back to work.
Parrish scrambled 27 yards and connected with Herring on a 20-yard pass to carry the Trojans 75 yards down the field, setting up a one-yard touchdown run by Parrish early in the fourth quarter. The score gave the Trojans a 13-12 lead.
That lead lasted just 30 seconds.
Monroe took the lead back on the ensuing kickoff, as Williams took the kick 95 yards for the go-ahead score.
The Trojans made a late game drive that looked promising, as Parrish managed to scramble for back-to-back first downs, until he capped off the heroic drive with the game-winning touchdown pass.
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Related Photos
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Monroe receiver Kevin Williams catches a pass for the opening touchdown against Brooks County. Special to the Times
Discussion
Trojans win in final seconds
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