Parks' recording set kicks keeps Dogs' hopes alive
NEDERLAND - Coaches break each game down into three parts--offense, defense and special teams. Nederland was proficient in all three areas, leading the Bulldogs to a 20-7 win over Silsbee at Bulldog Stadium Friday night.
Senior Curtis Parks turned in a record setting night on special teams for the Bulldogs. With 7:53 remaining in the third quarter, Parks attempted a 55-yard field goal. Not only did he split the uprights, he cleared the cross bar by at least 10 yards in recording the longest field goal in school history.
Parks added a 42-yarder later in the quarter, which would be quite a feat for most high school kickers, but was almost anti-climatic after witnessing his previous kick. He also punted twice for a 53 yard average.
"How about Curtis Parks. Everybody knows about him and he finally got an opportunity to kick a big one tonight," praised Nederland coach Larry Neumann.
"Really and truly, in practice he regularly kicks them from 65 yards in practice. He had a little bit of wind behind him, but he really didn't need that. He's got a really big leg.
"He did a great job kicking off as well. He's done a great job for us all year, mainly punting the ball, but he got a chance to kick a little bit tonight. He's a real weapon for us."
Nederland (6-3, 5-2) kept its playoff hopes alive with the win, which pushed the Bulldogs home winning streak to 20 straight games. That is the second longest in the state in Class 4A and is the sixth longest in the state in all classifications.
Junior quarterback Kirk Dean led a balanced offensive attack for the Bulldogs. Dean completed seven-of-16 passes for 158 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Senior Jake Askew was his favorite target, catching five passes for 125 yards and both TDs.
The Bulldogs took the opening kickoff 76 yards in seven plays for the game's first score. Dean led the methodical drive which culminated in a 25-yard scoring strike to Askew, who ran a post and eluded several Tigers en route to the end zone.
"The first drive of the game was the best we've moved the ball offensively all year," exclaimed Neumann. "We told the kids at halftime it was methodical and professional in nature. What we stayed away from, which hurt us in other drives, was penalties. That first drive is what we've got to get used to doing."
Silsbee (1-8, 0-7), aided by an unsportsmanlike personal foul penalty on the Bulldogs, answered with a game-tying drive early in the second quarter.
Sophomore quarterback Quintin Porter connected with Herbert Williams on a 47-yard pass-play that gave the Tigers first and goal at the four. Ken Renfro made one Bulldog miss in the backfield, and ran up the middle for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7.
Nederland turned the ball over on its next possession, but the defensive held Silsbee in check, stopping them on fourth-and-seven at the 24.
The offense wasted little time in capitalizing. After an incomplete pass, Dean connected with Johnny Pittman for a 22-yard completion. Dean hit Askew on an out-and-up on the next play for a 54-yard scoring strike to put the Bulldogs up 14-7.
Parks' two third quarter field goals provided the only offense of the second half. That's all the offense the Bulldogs would need with their stingy defense thwarting every Tiger scoring attempt.
"I'm really proud of our defense. They came up with several key spots when their (Silsbee) offense had good field position," Neumann said. "All the guys in the secondary (Julian Nunez, Colin Weber, Evan Foxworth, Josh Atterberry) played well.
Neumann also singled out the play of defensive tackle Ron Mohica, who made several stops up the middle, pressured the quarterback and recovered a fumble. This may sound like routine play for a defensive lineman. However, Mohica happens to be a six-foot, 200-pound freshman. He's the first freshman to play, let alone start, in Neumann's 10-year stint at the school.
Despite having just one game left in the regular season, Neumann still sees his team working hard, improving and gaining confidence with each passing week.
"This is not a tired football team and I think they're hungry about next week and the opportunities that are in front of them," commented Neumann, whose team will close out the season at Vidor next week. "We told the kids early in the week that teams all across Texas are getting ready. Some are getting ready for the off-season and some are getting ready for the playoffs. I think this team is getting ready for the playoffs."
Consistency and staying away from penalties are the two primary concerns that Neumann and his staff will be looking to correct in the coming week.