Two in a row, but three's a streak.
That was the message delivered by Parkview coach Anthony Hays on Saturday, moments after his Vikings downed visiting Waynesville 36-20 at JFK Stadium for its second consecutive victory.
After starting the year with lopsided losses to Kickapoo (55-26) and Joplin (41-20), the Vikings have begun to carve out their identity. It began with a grind-it-out win at Rolla in week three (27-23) and continued on Saturday in a dominating effort against Ozark Conference foe Waynesville.
"We started nine new players week one, and to see how they've progressed these past couple weeks has been great," Hays said.
Parkview (2-2, 2-2 Ozark Conference) overcame a slow start on Saturday, giving up a return touchdown on the opening kick (called back due to a penalty), to march to another win.
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Both teams combined for three turnovers in the first quarter. The sloppy play was likely a direct correlation to the teams playing the day after the game was originally scheduled.
"That was my biggest concern," Hays said. "Getting all amped up last night and then having to redo it today. I've done this one other time in my career, and it's usually sloppy. I think we saw that on both ends."
After the sluggish start, Parkview (2-2, 2-2 Ozark Conference) found its identity in the second half, leaning heavily on the run game with an occasional pass thrown in.
Leading 14-12 in the third quarter, Parkview's Gavin Devic recovered a fumble–one of four Waynesville giveaways–at the Tigers' 27 yard-line. On the next play, quarterback Mario Sanchez connected with wideout Gage Clark for a 27-yard touchdown completion, their second touchdown hookup of the game.
"We played a lot less guys both ways," Hays said. "We felt like if we just kept pushing, it would start to open up a little bit. That's what happened in the second half."
A Waynesville (0-4, 0-4 OC) three-and-out followed, and Parkview took command of the game. A four-play, 56-yard drive that ended with tailback Blake Delacruz' 8-yard sprint into the endzone, stretching the Vikings' lead to 28-12 late in the third. Delacruz had 104 total yards of offense in the game, including 90 after halftime.
"(Offensive Line Coach Jeff Klein) really helped us adjust with the o-line," Delacruz said. "I think the main reason we won the game is because of the way they played. Big shoutout to them."
But Waynesville didn't go quietly. The Tigers, turnover prone all game, fumbled the ensuing kick but recovered a Vikings' fumble two plays later. It set up a 20-yard TD sprint by David Adams that cut the deficit to 28-20 after three quarters.
Those were Waynesville's only points in the second half.
"Our defense played their best game of the year," Hays said. "The only time Waynesville scored (in the second half) was when our offense put them in a bad position."
Things got a little dicey in the fourth for the Vikings. Still leading 28-20 with four minutes remaining, Parkview faced a 4th-and-7 at the Waynesville 30.
"It was a little out of field goal range, so we were going to go for it anyway," Hays said. "I felt like they were really focusing on the run, and if we did a little play-action, we'd have somebody open."
They did. Sanchez found Delacruz in the flat, and he took it the distance. Sanchez finished 5/11 passing for Parkview for 129 yards and three TDs.
"I just tried to get open," Delacruz. "Gage had a really nice block near the endzone, which helped me score."
Waynesville 6 6 8 0 20
Parkview 7 7 14 8 36
First Quarter
7:19-WHS: 1-yd TD run Drehle (PAT miss)
Second Quarter
10:05-PHS: 1-yd TD run Davis (Joy PAT)
2:59-PHS: 17-yd TD pass Sanchez to Clark (Joy PAT)
:1.7-WHS: 6-yd TD run Drehle (2-pt fail)
Third Quarter
8:35-PHS: 27-yd TD pass Sanchez to Clark (Sanchez run 2-pt)
2:21-PHS: 8-yd TD run Delacruz (2-pt fail)
:31.1-WHS: 20-yd TD run Adams (2-pt pass Drehle to Brown)
Fourth Quarter
3:37-PHS: 30-yd TD pass Sanchez to Delacruz (2-pt run)
