By MATT VINES, Journal Sports
BOSSIER CITY — Natchitoches Central continued its trend of strong starts Friday against Parkway, but another trend surfaced as well.
The Chiefs (1-3, 0-3 District 1-5A) surrendered points in bunches in a 69-40 loss to Parkway.
The Panthers (4-0, 2-0 District 1-5A) scored 36 points in the second quarter to create separation in the fourth straight home game for Parkway.
Parkway’s first touchdown came on fourth down, and NCHS coach Brad Laird said defensive third- and fourth-down efficiency must be improved as the season continues.
“Parkway was able to get some explosive plays in the second quarter with a couple of quick drives,” Laird said. “We did not do a good job with third- or fourth-down defense.
“They scored a couple of touchdowns on fourth down and extended several drives with third-down conversions.”
NCHS grabbed a 13-12 lead in the first quarter with short touchdown runs by Kaden Kuykendall and Owen Smith.
The Chiefs have taken early leads in three of their four games so far (Breaux Bridge, Captain Shreve and Parkway).
“We have been fortunate to start well this season, and (Parkway) was no different,” Laird said. “We had the lead early, and our coaches have done a great job of getting our guys ready to play from the start.”
Parkway quarterback Kaleb Williams threw for 322 yards and five touchdowns, including four in the first half to build a 48-27 edge.
NCHS threatened on multiple occasions, cutting Parkway’s lead to 27-20 in the second quarter on a 41-yard Kelton Howard run and again at 48-34 early in the third quarter after an 8-yard Howard run.
Howard had a career day with 160 yards and three touchdowns and Smith contributed another 94 on the ground as the Chiefs neared 300 total rushing yards.
“Kelton, Kaden and Owen have done a great job running the football,” Laird said. “They run the ball hard and with great vision.
“The receivers are blocking well on the perimeter, extending quality runs. The key has been the offensive line. They have played consistently in both run blocking and pass protection, and they’ve been to the key to our success offensively.”
Smith threw for 174 yards on 12-of-17 passing with a pair of touchdowns.
The offensive effort bore fruit again as Natchitoches Central has scored at least 36 points in all four games so far, but they couldn’t trade fire with a Parkway offense that gained 622 yards and topped the 50-point mark for the third time this season.