Parma’s black curtain defense smothers Nampa Christian
By Ray Rodriguez
Argus Observer
Saturday, October 4, 2008 11:21 PM PDT
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| Ray Rodriguez | Argus Observer
Parma’s Cameron Stewart almost goes down on a shoestring tackle by a Nampa Christian defender during the Panthers 15-3 win over the No. 2 ranked Trojans. |
Parma—Quarterback David Unruh and the No. 2 ranked Nampa Christian Trojans waltzed into Parma with a high-powered offense averaged 40 points a game and outscored opponents 160-18 in four contests.
They were dynamic, prolific and definitely a force to be reckoned with.
Cesar Navarette, James Stell, Cam Stewart, Jed Ferguson and the rest of Parma’s black curtain defense made them look human with a 15-3 win Friday in Parma.
Parma’s defense notched six sacks, recorded 11 quarterback hurries and held the Trojans to 98 total yards of offense in the win.
The Panther victory was the first in six years over their Western Idaho Conference rival.
“I couldn’t be happier with the play of our defense. They really got after it,” Parma head coach Greg Asbury said. “Those guys set the tone at the beginning of the game and played physical football. Just a tremendous effort.”
In the second half, Nampa Christian had five drives and could only get as far as Parma’s 39-yard line.
In the five drives, Parma picked off two Unruh passes, forced two punts and also recorded a loss of downs.
Even with the heroics of the defense, the Panthers saw themselves down 3-2 at the half, and divulged just enough offense in the second half with touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters.
In the third quarter, Parma had possession at the 5:22 mark from the Nampa Christian 34-yard line, and embarked on a 12-play 66-yard drive.
Lance Johnson capped the drive with a 5-yard scamper, and the Panthers led 8-3 with 49 seconds left in the third.
On Nampa Christian’s ensuing possession, Unruh faced a furious rush and uncorked an errant pass into the waiting arms of Parma safety Dalton Koplin for the interception.
Parma was back in business at the Nampa Christian 41-yard line and would take full advantage.
The Panthers kicked off a 10-play drive, with the big play coming on a 39-yard reception from quarterback Rance Portenier to tight end Randy Riley.
Seven plays later, Johnson found paydirt for the second time from three yards out.
Devin Erickson booted the extra point and Parma was in control with a 15-3 lead and 8:35 left on the clock.
From the 8:35 mark on, Nampa Christian had three other possessions and mustered just 37 yards.
“That’s what we do. Our defense is tough,” Koplin said. “We make sure we swarm to the football and get 11 hats on them.”
The Panthers rolled up 302 yards of offense with Portenier leading the way, going 10-of-25 for 148 yards.
Parma’s Terrell Timmons logged four catches for 64 yards and Stewart added two grabs for 29 yards.
“The receivers stepped it up and made some clutch catches,” Portenier said. “The line was blocking well the whole game. They got after it. Gave me a lot of time to get the offense going.”
Johnson led the ground attack with 19 carries for 89 yards and Koplin chipped in 22 carries for 68 yards.
Even with the upset win, Portenier put the season in perspective for his crew.
“This win makes us realize we are a good team, but at the same time, we have to realize that everyone is going to be after us,” Portenier said. “We just got to keep practicing hard, and take it one game at a time. We can’t afford to get ahead of ourselves.”
Parma (4-1 overall, 2-0 WIC) travels to New Plymouth Friday for another WIC showdown.
