The Bears rolled up 273 yards on the ground behind a strong effort by Dakota Bell and Brody Meeks. Bell rushed from 135 yards on 27 carries with two touchdowns, while Meeks rushed 14 times for 107 yards. Meeks also went 7 of 12 in passing for 88 yards and threw one interception.
Bryan Clark led the Lynn defense with 10 tackles and one interception. Grant Lawson also had a great game with 6 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss and a forced fumble.
Jeremy Piper led Parrish’s offense, connecting on 12 of 22 passes for 216 yards, with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. His favorite target was Jermichael Harris, who caught four passes for 155 yards and scored all three of the Tornadoes’ touchdowns. Austin Crowe was the team’s leading rusher with 78 yards on 16 rushes. Crowe also led the team on defense, recording 10 tackles and a tackle for a loss.
Lynn Coach Philip Smith congratulated his team’s effort on both sides of the ball, as well as praising the Tornadoes’ hard-fought effort.
“Tonight’s game was just incredible — two good football teams who battled all the way to the end and held nothing back,” Smith said. “My hat’s off to Parrish — they played very well and gave us everything that they had. I can’t say enough about our guys though. When we were behind on the scoreboard with four minutes left in the game, we didn’t panic. We stuck to our game plan and took the ball in for the win.”
After a scoreless first quarter, Parrish struck early in the second quarter on a 80-yard touchdown pass from Piper to Harris that put the Tornadoes on top 7-0 following a good extra point kick by Andrew Weaver. The Bears would answer on the following series with 10 play, 79-yard drive with Bell taking the ball in from 4 yards out. David Henson connected on the extra point kick to tie the game at 7-7 going into halftime.
After holding Lynn on downs on the first possession of the second half, Piper would find Harris again on a 63-yard strike. Weaver extra point kick would be blocked by Bell to give Parrish the 13-7 lead.
The Bears would regain the lead on the next series following a 6-play, 65 yard drive as Daniel Cagle scored on an 8 yard-run. Another good extra point kick by Henson moved Lynn ahead 14-13 to close the third quarter.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Tornadoes put together a 16-play, 89-yard drive that concluded with a touchdown pass from Piper to Harris. Parrish would be unsuccessful on their two-point conversion to take a 19-14 lead. Lynn would regain the lead in the closing moments of the game on a 61-yard, 8-play drive with Bell scoring his second rushing touchdown of the night on an 8-yard run. Meeks ran the ball in for the two-point conversion to reach the 22-19 final.
Lynn (4-0) travels to Carbon Hill next Friday in non-region play. Parrish (2-2) will take on in-county rival Cordova at the Blue Devils’ Hudson-Kirby Stadium.