After a devastating loss in 2022 that ended inches from the end zone, and another heartbreaker in 2023 that ended with a blocked PAT after a last-minute rally, South View looked to be ready to turn the page on those tough losses to Jack Britt this season.
Too bad for the Tigers, Jaleel Parker stepped up to write the ending of the next chapter.
The Buccaneers’ junior playmaker snagged an interception and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown and then he converted a third-down run late in the fourth quarter to cue the victory formation and seal a 27-23 win Friday at the Boneyard that gives Britt the No. 1 4A seed out of the United 8 Conference for NCHSAA playoffs, which begin Nov. 15.
Parker’s standout performance reminded Bucs coach Brian Randolph of something his former coach, Fayetteville’s legendary Bob Paroli , used to say: “It’s not about Xs and Os, it’s about Jimmys and Joes,” Randolph said. “You’ve got to get the ball in the hands of your big-time players in big-time situations.