Patriots fall to Eagles 32-12 on Senior Night

The Arendell Parrott Academy Patriots played host to the Eagles of Wayne Christian on Friday evening. The Patriots lost the game 32-12. This was the last regular season home game for the Patriots which is widely associated with Senior Night among high school programs.

The four seniors who were recognized were #6 Jeremy Snipes, #9 Caleb Sanderson, #11 Mason Mcelveen and #24 Rylan Dickens. These four seniors have had a lot of success during their time as Patriots including 2 State Championships.

After the pre-game festivities, the Patriots looked to be in total control of the game against the Eagles. The Eagles came into the game with a record of 7-1 and ranked as #1 team in the state and the Patriots knew this would be a hard-fought tough game.

It was evident that Head Coach Matt Beaman had a specific game plan for the Eagles. The Patriots coming off an open week slowed the game down from their first possession. The Patriots would wait in the huddle after calling a play until the back judge started his warning countdown.

“We felt like if we gave them a lot of possessions, they were going to be tough to stop. We tried to shorten the game to help our defense a little bit”, Coach Beaman said when asked about the new look. The Eagles scored on their opening drive; however, the Patriots would take a 12-6 lead into half time.

The Patriots had two rushing touchdowns in the first half. #5 Jaylen Solomon and #54 Mason Mooring had those two touchdowns.  Solomon would finish with 79 yards on 18 carries while Mooring finished with 60 yards on 13 carries.

As the first half ended, the rain started to come down at Hodges Field. The second half was played in steady rain. The Eagles came out in the second half and rode momentum from a few Patriot mistakes. The Eagles would score 26 points in the second half and kept the Patriots out of the endzone.

The Patriots will look to bounce back next week as they head to Rocky Mount to face Faith Christian and finish their regular season. Coach Beaman told his team after this game that next week would be an important game. “Weve got to respond. Can'tlet one loss turn into two losses. We must come out and have a great week of preparation and be ready to take on Faith Christian”, Beaman said.