By TONY STINNETT, Courier Sports Editor
Quarterback Charlie Parrish ran for one touchdown and threw for another to lead the JR Lions to a thrilling 14-12 win against Monterey Thursday (Sept. 11).
While the touchdowns were key, the biggest offensive play was a 2-point conversion.
After Parrish scored on a bootleg in overtime to tie Monterey, 12-12, the Lions opted to go for the 2-point conversion. Reece Smith hauled in a pass for the two points as Cannon County (3-3) secured the victory.
The Lions' defense was outstanding. Cort Litchford was stellar at defensive back. Alex Clark, Remington James, Brady Cunningham and Stone Basham played a solid game on the line. Gabe Elrod and Smith were laying the wood in the middle of the defense. Jacob Raines and Jory Isenhart played great on the ends.
Cannon County got on the board first when Parrish threw a hot pass to Gage Jones, who did the rest of the work on his way to a 60-yard scoring run to put the Lions on top 6-0.
Monterey tied the game to force overtime and took a 12-6 lead when it scored first in overtime; however, Parrish scored on the bootleg and Smith hauled in the crucial 2-point conversion to lead the Lions to victory.
"All of the kids played with passion and focus," Lions Head Coach Jason Elrod said. "It was a great team win. Each week these boys are improving and they are eager to stay hungry and keep fighting. There is no quit in the team and that's all you can ask as a coach."
The Lions will have "Eighth Grade Night" when they play host to Jackson County Thursday