Lima Central Catholic’s Brady Parker runs with the ball while Pandora-Gilboa’s Landen Moore defends during Friday’s Division VII sectional at Spartan Stadium.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
LIMA — On the week of Halloween, it’s customary to receive a scare or two, just not on the football field.
On Friday night at Spartan Stadium, LCC was in control with a three-score lead at the end of the first half, but Pandora-Gilboa rallied all the way back to make it a five-point game in the fourth quarter and even had a chance to take the lead with five minutes left.
One could say the Rockets gave the T-Birds quite a scare on the gridiron in the first round of the Division VII, Region 26 playoffs, but ultimately, LCC shook off its fear and held on for a 33-28 victory.
The win sets up a rematch between LCC and Columbus Grove, who beat North Baltimore 42-8 on Friday night. Columbus Grove topped LCC two weeks ago, 28-20 at Clymer Stadium.
On Friday night against Pandora-Gilboa, Brady Parker ran for four first-half touchdowns, and LCC led 27-7 at the break.
“We got off to a great start. We got them on their heels and got up on them,” LCC coach Scott Palte said. “Give them (Pandora-Gilboa) credit for regrouping and coming out and taking it to us in the second half. That’s what you’d expect in the 8-9 game, two teams that can play really well at times and not so great at other times. Both teams had really good moments and really bad moments. I’m really just proud of our kids for battling.”
The Rockets scored twice in the third quarter on a short run from Andrew Miller and a 37-yard touchdown pass from Cory Gerten to Chase Meyer, cutting the lead to six.
After Parker found Matthew Quatman on a four-yard touchdown, Miller scored again with eight minutes left to pull Pandora-Gilboa within five at 33-28.
Seven plays later, LCC’s drive stalled out and ended in a punt, giving the Rockets a shot to win the game with 5:22 to go. The T-Birds had a first down on the tips of their fingers, but a third-down pass from Parker went directly through the hands of Quatman, an uncharacteristic play from the sure-handed senior.
“He’s made a million really big plays in his High School career but everyone makes mistakes and no one is more disappointed than him when he doesn’t hold onto one,” Palte said of Quatman. “He’s one of our best players and a great leader. He did a great job of bouncing back and continuing to play hard.”
“Matthew’s the type of guy where if he makes a mistake, he’s coming back the next play, so I know I can trust him,” said LCC quarterback Brady Parker. “If he makes one mistake, it’s out of his head and he’s forgetting about it. Then he comes back and gets us the first down.”
Quatman indeed made up for the missed opportunity.
After forcing P-G into a three-and-out, the 5-10, 175-pound back ripped off a 13-yard run that effectively put the game away. He finished the night with four catches for 70 yards and a touchdown and 14 carries for 86 yards.
As a team, LCC collected 262 yards on the ground. Brady Parker carried the ball 24 times for 151 yards and four touchdowns. The sophomore signal-caller also completed 10 of 16 passes for 175 yards one touchdown and a late first-half interception.
“He really ran the ball hard,” Palte said of Parker. “He took some hits, got up and kept putting his shoulder down and filling up the hole. He’s really improved, really become a better leader as the year’s gone on and he’s doing a great job for us.”
Parker said his big night on the ground was a product of exceptional blocking and taking advantage of P-G’s defensive formation.
“Their linebackers were wide out so I told myself that I was going to hit the gap as hard as I can, run as hard as I can and our line blocking was amazing so it worked out well,” Parker said. “They attacked the defense instead of letting them get the first hit and the same was true for our running backs.”
Pandora-Gilboa got 85 rushing yards and three touchdowns from Miller. Ben Burkholder added 69 yards on seven carries. Quarterback Cory Gerten completed 10 of 16 passes for 172 yards, one touchdown, and an interception late in the second quarter.
The Rockets officially ended the season with a record of 7-4.
No. 8 seed LCC’s win means the opportunity to face Columbus Grove, the No. 1 seed in Region 26, for a second time this season.
“Our kids played hard the first time and we know we’ll get a great effort from them again,” Palte said. “It’ll be a tremendous challenge against a great football team. No matter who you’re playing, you better bring your best game in the second round of the playoffs. Our kids will be ready and they’ll play hard.”
Score by quarters
P-G 0 7 14 7 — 28
LCC 13 14 0 6 — 33
Scoring Summary
LCC — Brady Parker 7-yard run (Brevan Stolly kick) — 8:28, 1st
LCC — Brady Parker 4-yard run (Brevan Stolly kick missed) — 2:08, 1st
LCC — Brady Parker 1-yard run (Brevan Stolly kick) — 9:08, 2nd
P-G — Andrew Miller 1-yard run (Paul Fischer kick) — 6:22, 2nd
LCC — Brady Parker 1-yard run (Brevan Stolly kick) — 1:08, 2nd
P-G — Andrew Miller 1-yard run (Paul Fischer kick) — 8:24, 3rd
P-G — Chase Meyer 37-yard reception from Cory Gerten (Paul Fischer kick) — 2:48, 3rd
LCC — Matthew Quatman 9-yard reception from Brady Parker (Brevan Stolly kick) — 11:03, 4th
P-G — Andrew Miller 8-yard run (Paul Fischer kick) — 8:11, 4th
Passing
P-G — Cory Gerten 10/16, 172 yards, TD, INT
LCC — Brady Parker 10/16, 175 yards, TD, INT
Rushing
P-G — Andrew Miller 22 carries, 85 yards, 3 TDs
LCC — Brady Parker 24 carries, 151 yards, 4 TDs
Receiving
P-G — Chase Meyer 6 catches, 128 yards, TD
LCC — Michael Quatman 4 catches, 73 yards
Total yards
P-G — 319
LCC — 437
Reach Chris Howell at 567-242-0468 or on Twitter/X at @Lima_Howell
