Ka'Shaun Parrish accounts for scoring, Bellport 'D' shuts down Centereach
Bellport WR Ka'Shaun Parrish tries to shake off the tackle of Centereach LB Marcus Figueroa in the first half on Saturday at Bellport. Credit: George A Faella
Bellport’s Ka’Shaun Parrish was always willing and able to put in the time to get ready for high school football — even as the sport he loved was postponed last fall.
"When we didn’t have practice, or workouts, I would still go to the field alone, with nobody. I didn’t care, I still prepared for me," he said. "I just knew, if I’m prepared, then I know I’m ready."
His preparation paid off in a big way for the Clippers on Saturday. The senior cornerback/wide receiver had two touchdowns and two interceptions as host Bellport defeated Centereach, 14-0, in a Suffolk League IV contest.
"He’s the real deal," said Bellport coach Jamie Fabian about Parrish. "He’s just a great athlete all the way around. We try to get him involved in as many ways as we can. He’s got a lot of potential."
The same can be said of Bellport’s defense. The Clippers limited Centereach to 105 yards of total offense. They had 14 tackles for a loss, including five sacks, a fumble recovery, and two interceptions by Parrish.
Parrish’s first interception led directly to Bellport’s first score. Junior quarterback Jack Halpin found Parrish all alone for a 51-yard scoring pass, and the PAT gave Bellport an early 7-0 lead with 7:24 left in the first quarter.
"I faked to the inside, and just planted back out. That’s one of my go-to moves," said Parrish, with a chuckle.
"I rolled out and I may have smiled on the roll out because I saw [the defender] fall on the ground, and it was wide-open," said Halpin, who had 94 yards through the air and 42 on the ground, despite missing half of the fourth quarter with cramps in both calves.
Late in the first half, a run by Centereach wasn’t whistled dead which resulted in a questionable fumble. Bellport took advantage as Parrish jetted around the right side for an 8 -yard scoring run, and Riley Murphy’s kick closed out the scoring with 2:11 left in the first half.
The rest of the game was a highlight reel for the Bellport defense led by sophomore Jaiden Green, who only started playing football in seventh grade. The defensive end had six tackles, including three solo hits, two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in his first varsity game.
"We’re locked in," Green said. "We worked hard, and all our blood, sweat and tears on the field back there — we brought it to this game."
