A Week 3 showdown against Christ Prep Academy, a non-KSHSAA prep school based out of Lenexa, followed an eerily similar script to Week 2 for the Parsons Vikings. After looking like the better team for the first quarter- and-a-half, the game got away from the Vikings as they fell, 45-8.
“We have to be able to finish a game,” Parsons head coach Jeff Schibi said. “I have no sympathy for guys that want to check themselves out of a game. None of the coaches do. I feel like we like lack, with our inexperience and our youth, a little toughness and endurance. Once our guys establish themselves in the weight room, some of these things can fix themselves. Right now, we just lack a little mental capacity, drive and toughness to lock in when the going gets tough.”
Parsons’ defense registered two sacks, five hurries and four tackles for loss over the course of the game. The Vikings’ defense was outright stymying during the first half as Parsons was able to take an 8-0 lead.
“We were flying off the football,” Schibi said. “I honestly think our defense played well all night long, except for a handful of missed tackles. But our defense was pretty strong.”
It was the offense that endured the miscues. The Vikings struggled to run the ball, tallying 81 yards on 27 carries.
Trey Logan was 7-of-23 passing, but the completion percentage isn’t on him.
“Offensively, we could’ve had 20plus points in the first half if we could just catch the football,” Schibi said. “We’re already having issues running the football. If we can’t do those things, we’re going to struggle scoring points. You either catch the ball or you don’t.”
Drops were a maddening frustration for the Vikings as the Parsons receivers routinely let passes hit their hands then the turf.
“We spent every single night of practice this week, after practice, on the JUGS machine where every receiver had to catch a certain amount of balls before they left,” Schibi said. “We’ll continue to do that.”
As the game rolled on and Christ Prep mounted a big lead, injuries began to pile up for Parsons.
“I thought injuries did play a factor, but I’m never a person that will make excuses as to what happened,” Schibi said. “I’m extremely disappointed in the way we handled ourselves with adversity tonight. I’ll keep it at that.”
The loss dropped Parsons to 0-3 on the year.
Up next
Parsons begins district play on the road in Week 4 with a trip to face the Baxter Springs Lions (1-2).
“I told our kids that we’re 0-0 right now,” Schibi said. “These were non-district football games. These were tune-up games. We can go 4-0 in our district. We have the capability to do that. But it’s going to come down to how badly we want it. We’ll find out.”
