Stephenson 14, Parkview 3
For 52 plays, Parkview’s defense and special teams did a tremendous job of shutting down Stephenson’s bevy of college-bound athletes.
Unfortunately for the Panthers, the Jaguars had the ball in their hands for 54 plays.
Those other two – a reverse-field 79-yard touchdown run from Mike Davis and a 75-yard punt return for a score by Demarcus Sweat – sunk Parkview’s hopes of an upset in No. 6 Stephenson’s 14-3 win.
Both of those plays, along with all 17 of the game’s points, came during a wild third quarter that also featured a controversial kick catch interference call against the Jags, a Parkview turnover that immediately turned into a Stephenson score and a second-and-30 conversion for the Panthers.
But it was the two big Stephenson plays that stood out in the end, the first coming virtue of the legs and vision of Davis.
The play was meant for Davis to go right, but he stopped and cut back to the other side of the field. He got around the corner, then stopped and cut back right to elude one tackler, stumbled ahead, cut back again to the right, broke another tackle, then sprinted to the end zone.
It was a scintillating run, made all the more exciting for the Jags because it erased a 3-0 deficit and gave them their first lead of the game.
“I saw a cutback lane; as soon as I saw it, I had to take it,” said Davis, who finished with a game-high 173 yards on 21 carries. “The team, we were down 3-0. I just wanted to make a big play. It was that time. Coach wanted me to do my thing, and that’s what I did.”
It didn’t take long for his teammate to get in on the act.
At the end of Parkview’s next possession, the Panthers’ punt drove Sweat back to his 25-yard line. He caught it while back pedaling, accelerated between two defenders, then hit the left sideline, following a host of blockers into the end zone for the Jags’ second big play of the quarter.
It was a quick 1-2 blow that belied the intense defensive struggle that stretched for the vast majority of the game. Outside of those two plays, Stephenson rarely made a serious threat to get into the end zone.
Likewise for Parkview, which had just two first downs in the first half but then started the second half with the only sustained drive for either team on the night.
The Panthers went 62 yards in 13 plays but couldn’t punch it into the end zone, settling for a 27-yard field goal that put them in front before Davis busted open two Stephenson possessions later.
Much like last season’s 21-14 double-overtime Jaguar victory, the pregame expectations were for points to be at a premium, and that’s exactly what happened.
“We knew this was going to be a tough game; they’re a very good team, and they do a very good job on defense,” Stephenson coach Ron Gartrell said. “Anyone who came out here expecting a scoring bonanza was going to be disappointed.”
P – Jack Kammer 27 FG
S – Mike Davis 79 run (Wisdom Nzidee kick)
S – Demarcus Sweat 75 punt return (Nzidee kick)
Parkview 0 0 3 0 – 3
Stephenson 0 0 14 0 – 14
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57 comments Add your comment
parkview folks who know
August 29th, 2011
11:56 pm
DH-1 said, “@GMP the lack of depth is one of the reasons that Stephenson should drop to AAAA. They will have a better shot. Coach G got to put AAAAA ego aside.”
Stephenson is a 5A school, and that’s based on enrollment figures and not based on “Coach G” and his “AAAAA ego.” Coach G has nothing to do with Stephenson’s classification. Any Georgia high school with an enrollment of 1,850 or higher is considered a 5A school. A school can choose to play up a classification, but they cannot play down. I believe Stephenson has an enrollment somewhere slightly over 2300.
parkview folks who know
August 30th, 2011
12:45 am
Stephenson’s Finest wrote; “I have a question for bobchambers or any parkview fans that are complaing about thses kids leaving their school. Brad Lester, Caleb King, Scottie Williams, Julian Whitehead what do they have in common. They all played for parkview and lived in dekalb county. yall are very hipocritical to write about these kid now but you didnt complain then. Its all good when you to parkview but they are taking less coming to stephenson. I thought we were past those days. Parkview is still a good program with a great history but you are throwing rocks from a glass house.”
No, the rocks aren’t being thrown from a glass house. And, it’s not just Parkview that’s upset with the tactics being employed at Stephenson. When a student athlete and their parents come into the head coach’s office and say, “My son would like to be on your football team,” the requirement is that the student athlete has to live in that school’s attendance area before they can become eligible to play for their new high school. The head coach is required to advise the parents of that fact – - per state guidelines. When a student transfers from one school to the next without moving, that student athlete is ineligible for competition per GHSA rules. For instance, the King family had to move when Caleb transferred to GAC – - even though it is a private school. Likewise, when a family moves from Gwinnett County to Dekalb County, for example, (or vise-versa), it is against the law for them to falsify their residency so that one child can attend their preferred high school while the younger sibling continues to attend middle school in their actual county/school district of residence. Perhaps you might recall a situation in Henry County a year ago where a parent was arrested and fined for doing something similar.
You asked a really good question, and as a Parkview fan, I’ll answer it for you. Brad Lester’s parents purchased a very nice home just off Cole Road in Lilburn – - prior to Brad transferring to Parkview. They still live in that same home. BTW, before moving to Parkview, Brad’s family considered a number of Gwinnett County schools (including Brookwood) before deciding on Parkview. Caleb King’s family rented a home on Five Forks Trickum, and moved from that home when Caleb transferred to GAC. Caleb’s guardian also considered a number of schools after leaving Columnia HS, before settling on Parkview. Julian Whitehead’s family purchased a very nice home in Evergreen Lakes subdivision, just off Pounds Road in Lilburn. To the best of my knowledge, they still live there as well. The only one of the four student athletes you mentioned whose home I have not personally been in is that of Scottie Williams, and so I am not sure where his family lived.
Now, I have a suggestion for you… When you are comparing the two, and using specific examples (names), make absolutely certain you know what you are talking about – - which you obviously don’t. I can show you the actual homes of each of the players I responded about, and none of them were in Dekalb County. Can you do the same for each of the players who have transferred to Stephenson over the past few years?
JagAlum
August 30th, 2011
11:42 am
PARKVIEW FOLKS WHO KNOW, like I said before, and I noticed you didnt respond to my earlier piece because it has some truth, their are plenty of kids in other gwinnett schools that are out of district, and you know it, but you all have not complained about them. You are simply jealous and envious of what our community is doing with our kids, period. I had a child hood friend, Jason Chapman, who played running back at Parkview and was suppose to be at Berkmar. South Gwinnett and Shiloh have dekalb players on thier teams. Complain about them, there in your region and affects your playoffs status, not Stephenson. There is an underlying issue at hand here and you know it, and I know it. And Brad’s parents still had their home in the Stephenson District, I know that for fact. But you all have opened a can of worms, so since you want to only investigate our school, which we have done nothing to you all except beat yall and help two former players of yalls to go to college, then all the other schools in gwinnett will get the microscope on them now since PARKVIEW does not seem to care when there region foes do the same thing. What I dont understand is, if players and their parents dont want to play for your program anymore, why do you care if they leave? If they dont want to be there, shouldny you want them to leave, I would. I wouldnt want anyone there who isnt all in for the program. Do yall feel like yall own those players? You all dont. And its just football, no one is getting physically hurt here, there is no life changing ordeals for the worse in this whole situation. Thats why I know there is a bigger issue at hand here, you all dont like to see anyone else that you feel you are better than doing better than you. And I know for fact Brad was recruited by Parkview, because I was also. I grew up playing park ball with Brad at Redan and Wade Walker. So I know. But as hypocritical as yall are, its ok when you do it, but not the “others” on the other side of 78. And we didnt recruit those players from your program, there parents decided to bring them. This is very sad, its been going on in Gwinnett for years, but now that Stephenson has some players from Gwinnettt, and their doing well, its all of a sudden a problem. I guess we are not allowed to do as well as your school and your community. I guess we need to know where our place is and stay in it. SAD
JagAlum
August 30th, 2011
11:43 am
And Stephenson doesnt have 2300 students, so talk what YOU KNOW.
JagAlum
August 30th, 2011
4:57 pm
The fact that you all are 0-3 against us is an issue for yall because we are not suppose to beat yall. Had yall been 3-0 against us, you would not care that those kids left your school or what is going on in our school and community. You all are a hypocritical community who wants everything your way or no way, that “we can do it but no one else can do it” mentality. You also see all of these black kids going to college for free, and many of your kids are not going for free, and you dont like that either. But you all will be exposed at the end as well, so be careful what you wish for.
bobchamberrules
November 22nd, 2011
11:38 pm
jagalum… just wondering how the jags run to the state championship is going… LMAO. Coach Corey better get on the stick and get Stephenson some more recruits!!!
Question: How many D-1 recruits does it take for Stephenson to actually WIN a state championship???
Answer: No one knows yet, but it’s obviously more than they have so far.
Pardon me for find your use of the term “hypocrites” amusing. See, if Parkview was recruiting Dekalb County kids for their athletic teams, then I’d be very much against them doing so. That means I’m not a hypocrite. You, on the other hand, complain about Parkview allegedly recruiting, among others, your “best friend” (whose name you can’t spell), and yet defend the blatant rule-breaking that Stephenson is currently engaging in. High school athletic teams aren’t supposed to be about who can bend (ignore) the rules the most and recruit athletes to bring glory to their athletic programs. High school sports aren’t supposed to be about lay coaches whose primary responsibility is to recruit the athletes from other teams with promises at exposure and scholarship offers. There’s a right way and a wrong way to go about things, and you are defending the wrong way. There’s a name for that type of coach, and it’s “agent”. There’s also a name for the adult who is supposed to help kids get the exposure required in today’s athletic recruiting game… they’re called “parents”.
In a bit, I’ll ask a question of the fine folks in this thread who see nothing wrong with the path that Stephenson is taking. First, a brief story. A few years ago, a high school wrestler from McEachern contacted Parkview coaches inquiring about transferring to Parkview because of their state championship-level wrestling program. He was told that in order to attend Parkview and compete as a scholar athlete, he’d need to establish residency in the Parkview attendance area – - meaning that his family would need to move. At about the same time, a baseball player from within Gwinnett County wanted to do the same thing. He and his family were told the exact same thing… rules are rules. Well, both athletes decided to try to finagle their way around the rules… They enrolled at Parkview using phony addresses… Their home schools found out and turned those athletes in (as they should), and investigations were conducted. Neither athlete was able to compete for Parkview as a result.
I’ve read a number of comments from Stephenson defenders insinuating that race plays a role in my comments. I beg to differ – - in fact I insist upon it. I’d say they play a larger role in yours. Parkview, is far more diverse than Stephenson, and that fact seems to escape a number of those who have posted in this thread. You, JagAlum, referred to the Parkview community as a “hypocritical community” – - Where does that come from? You and others have named names of former Dekalb County athletes who attended Parkview, and claimed that Parkview cheated in recruiting them. And yet, I’ve been in most of their homes, all of which were in the Parkview attendance area, and all of which were their primary residence. Racism? Both of the kids in the above two examples were white… and investigations were conducted and they were ruled ineligible. Kids transferring to Stephenson… no investigation. Hmmmm… That seems a little odd to me… It’s really not that hard for anyone with an interest in seeing the rules enforced evenly across the board to see what’s happening. And yet, nothing but crickets chirping… No AJC articles… No GHSA investigation… Let the cheaters cheat, and don’t complain about it. Maybe you can explain why that is – - I’m all ears. When are the families of the Stephenson recruits going to be investigated? When big brother drives to Stephenson every morning and little sibling rides the bus to Trickum Middle, the investigation should wrap up in about 15 minutes. And yet, no investigation is being conducted. No one’s being declared ineligible. Why is that?
It would appear that the best way to recap your point is that Stephenson should be allowed to recruit, should be allowed to have staff members who charge player families for the service of exposing their sons to college recruiters. That is a “hypocritical community”… to use your own words. One set of rules for Stephenson and schools employing similar tactics, and another for the rest. Kid breaks the rules and transfers to Parkview… he’s declared ineligible. Kid breaks the rules and transfers to Stephenson… and the blinders go on and the excuses percolate up. We’re not the community defending cheaters – - Stephenson is.
So, here’s the question… If it’s okay with you that Stephenson is recruiting players from other schools in the name of “helping them get a scholarship”, then obviously you’d have no problem with the rest of the schools in the metro area and state doing the same, right? We could turn high school football into “Let’s Make a Deal”… On the right, an offer to attend Brookwood, a widely-respected and highly-rated academic program where you run behind a big, powerful OL and win a state championship before signing a D-1 scholarship. Or, you can attend Stephenson where the school ranks 240th among Georgia high schools (yeah, I know… it’s a really great academic school), and their coaching staff has never won a single state championship. Yes, let’s open things up for everyone to move around wherever they want – - rules me damned.
I don’t know, but I think Stephenson loses badly in that game.
bobchamberrules
November 22nd, 2011
11:56 pm
jagalum;
I didn’t respond to your earlier piece because I was doubled over in laughter at the irony behind your commentary about Stephenson as a challenging academic environment…
Exhibit A: jagalum wrote, “I went to a all white university and was one of the smartest on campus, graduating suma cum latta.”
Should I go on, or stop there?