varsity.roanoke.com

Photos by Alan Kim | The Roanoke Times

Pulaski County's Nubian Peak dives into the end zone in front of Northside's Wardel Penn-Timity on Friday night.

Northside's Dustin Phelps (25) is stopped by Pulaski County's Antwyn Calfee (top) and Tahrick Peak on Friday night.

DUBLIN -- Seth Parris left it all out on the field Friday night.

The Pulaski County fullback used his inside running to score the go-ahead touchdown and help set up an insurance score in the fourth quarter as the Cougars opened the 2008 season with a 27-7 nondistrict victory over Northside at Kenneth J. Dobson Stadium.

Parris' 1-yard run on the first play of the final quarter put Pulaski up 14-7, then the 6-foot, 190-pound senior carried on six of the first seven plays of the next series, leading to a 1-yard run by backup E.J. Dobbins for a 20-7 margin with 4:10 to play.

Dobbins had entered the game moments after Parris was tackled at the end of a 6-yard gain, causing him to get physically sick on the field.

"He caught me in the stomach," said Parris, who finished with 92 yards on 21 carries. "I got a little gag reflex right there."

Apparently, the men in the Parris can stomach just about anything.

Last month Parris' father, Hoyt, was riding a motorcycle when he was hit by a truck. The elder Parris is recovering at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where his son said things improving.

"A pickup truck ran over top of him and tore a main artery in his stomach," Parris said. "He's doing better. They took him off the respirator. They're starting to get him outside.

"He's never missed a game since I started playing football. It kills me he can't be here, but I know he's up there thinking about me. I scored it for him tonight."

A large crowd on the home side breathed a sigh of relief after Parris' TD. Until then, Northside had hung in the game and the Vikings appeared to have momentum following a game-tying 3-yard touchdown run by fullback Jonathan Anderson late in the third period.

Pulaski coach Jack Turner was having visions of last year's game in Roanoke County when the Cougars escaped 21-19 in the final seconds.

"I told our kids Northside has got a heck of a football team," Turner said. "I knew what we were in for."

The turning point was a muffed punt by Northside's Isaiah Martin that Pulaski's Brandon Hazzard recovered at the Vikings' 6-yard line, setting up Parris' touchdown.

Northside's next drive ended on fourth-and-5 when quarterback Ryan Keith never got the snap from center.

"The only thing we're disappointed in, we didn't carry out our team motto," Northside coach Burt Torrence said. "We didn't finish the ballgame. It was exactly what we wanted with the exception of the loss. It was a physical game. They brought it right at us. They made some big plays in situations we didn't."

Pulaski put the ball in Parris' hands from there behind an offensive line that found its second wind. Dobbins' TD was followed by a 54-yard scoring sprint by Nubian Peak, who was bottled up much of the night by Northside's defense. Peak scored Pulaski's first TD on a 5-yard run on the game's opening possession, good for a 7-0 halftime lead.

Mostly, Pulaski summoned Parris.

"We put in on his shoulders," Turner said.

OK with the senior.

"I love it when they call on me," Parris said. "I'm a north-south runner. I ain't got those moves like Nubian. You know I'm going to be running straight up the hole. I just get behind my linemen and go. They're the ones making the holes."

The game featured two bizarre sequences.

The first half ended when Northside blocked a 21-yard field goal attempt by Pulaski's Matt Songer. Anderson caught the ball and had an escort to the opposite end zone, but an inadvertent whistle stopped the play. After a lengthy delay, officials ruled the half over.

In the third quarter following back-to-back 8-yard gains by Martin, the Cougars were assessed three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties before the next snap, resulting in the ejection of linebacker Jared Cole.

"If we don't have those stupid penalties, they don't score," Turner said. "But Northside played hard. It was a battle. My gosh, last year it went right down to the final seconds."

Northside 0 0 7 0 -- 7

Pulaski County 7 0 0 20 --27

PC -- N.Peak 5 run (Songer kick)

N -- Anderson 3 run (Downhour kick)

PC -- Parris 1 run (Songer kick)

PC -- Dobbins 1 run (kick failed)

PC -- N.Peak 54 run (Songer kick)

NO PC

First downs 11 18

Yards rushing 33-58 50-284

Passes C-A-I 2-7-0 3-7-0

Yards passing 18 30

Penalties-yards 3-14 9-85

Fumbles-lost 3-1 1-0

Punts-average 4-37.0 3-31.0

Individual statistics

RUSHING -- Northside, Anderson 8-26, I.Martin 14-23, Penn-Timity 4-15, Phelps 2-4, Fisher 1-4, Keith 4-(minus 14). Pulaski County, N.Peak 13-118, Parris 21-92, Dobbins 8-35, Watson 3-26, J.Martin 4-13, Haynes 1-0.

PASSING -- Northside, Keith 2-7-0-18. Pulaski County, Watson 3-7-0-30.

RECEIVING -- Northside, Fisher 1-13, Phelps 1-5. Pulaski County, N.Peak 1-14, Calfee 1-9, J.Martin 1-7.