ATCHISON — A fourth quarter comeback fell one score shy for the Parsons Vikings in Week 7 as they fell to the Atchison Phoenix, 40-34, on Friday night.
Parsons trailed the game, 276, at halftime and 40-20 through three quarters.
“The kids settled down in the second half and played good, fundamental football in all three phases of the game,” Parsons head coach Jeff Schibi said. “They believed in each other. We challenged them at halftime to believe and good things would happen. I told them after the game that I felt like we didn’t lose the game. We just ran out of time.”
Chandler Hentzen, the star running back and linebacker for the Vikings, sprained his ankle early in the contest. He was held out for the rest of the game by Schibi.
“It sucked the air out of the team,” Schibi said. “Three out of the first five plays after he got hurt, they scored on a long pass. We fumbled, then they scored a play or two later. It was a gut punch to everyone. But from that point on, we outscored them the rest of the game. We dug ourselves too big of a hole.”
Da’Karyi Jones carried the load in Hentzen’s wake, amassing 121 yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries.
“He did an excellent job,” Schibi said. “He was gassed after the game. He gave everything he had and never came out of the game. He did a good job of keeping us in the game and helping us have a chance to win. I was very proud of him and the leadership he showed.”
Andrew Houk completed 6-of-13 passes for 71 yards. Hentzen was still second on the Vikings’ roster in rushing with 38 yards on five carries.
Wyatt Shultz was one of two receivers for Parsons to catch a pass, hauling in six for 89 yards.
On defense, Brelin Summers led the pack with 10 tackles while Cayden Forbes added nine.
Parsons moved to 3-4 overall with the loss — two of its losses are to Class 4A schools, one to district-leader Frontenac and one to a prep school.
Up next
Parsons can lock up the No. 2 seed in its Class 3A district and a home playoff game by beating Columbus at Marvel Park in Week 8.
“It’s a huge football game because we win and we secure a home playoff game,” Schibi said. “Any time you can host a playoff game, that season is a success. We don’t want to stop right there. We want to win some games and make a run at this thing.”
Columbus is 1-6 this season, with the Titans’ lone win coming in Week 5 over Baxter Springs, 15-14.
“They have struggled at times this year, but they still have some good players that they’ll put on the field,” Schibi said. “They’ve scored some points in some games. They’ll be wellcoached and ready to play. I know they’re disappointed in how the season has gone. So we have to come ready to play and do our job to finish this off.”
