Parker's 324 yards, 4 TDs spark Roosevelt
Erin Parker #9 of Roosevelt runs the ball against Valley Stream North during their Nassau High School Conference IV football game at Shuart Stadium. (Nov. 10, 2011) Credit: Jim McIsaac
Roosevelt tailback Erin Parker touched the ball so many times Thursday night, that when quarterback Robert Sweeney went to the sideline with leg cramps midway through the fourth quarter and his team clinging to a six-point lead, it was only natural for Parker to move under center.
Seriously, who else was going to have the ball in his hands with the Rough Riders trying to dig out from their own 5 with the game on the line? Parker ran a first-down sneak for 15 yards to gain breathing room, and carried 10 times for 87 yards on a drive that ran out the final 6:37 as Roosevelt defeated Valley Stream North, 27-21, at Hofstra's Shuart Stadium in a Nassau IV semifinal.
The Rough Riders (8-2) will face East Rockaway Thursday at 7 p.m. at Hofstra. VSN finished 8-3.
Sweeney returned in the middle of that drive, handed off twice to Parker on third-down stretch plays that produced huge first downs, and took a knee at the 9 to run out the clock.
The 5-8, 165-pound senior ran 38 times for 324 yards and touchdowns of 5, 7, 58 and 5 yards.
"I've played quarterback before, but it wasn't easy,'' said Parker, who was Roosevelt's starting quarterback at the start of last season. "It's a different look. But I like getting the ball and knowing the game is in your hands.''
Roosevelt's defense also produced late-game heroics. Valley Stream North's Jesse Oppenheimer, who returned a kickoff 92 yards for a TD in the first quarter, recovered a fumble at Roosevelt's 45 with 9:18 left. The Spartans drove to the 5, where on fourth down, Anthony Martelli rolled right and threw into the end zone. But Ed Dietrich was covered well by Manny Jones, who knocked the ball away.
Parker made sure the Spartans didn't get the ball back. On third-and-13, he ran a stretch play left for 17 yards. On third-and-6 with 1:38 left, Parker ran a stretch play right for 15 yards to the 9, locking up the victory.
"When I give the ball to Erin,'' Sweeney said, "he knows what to do with it.''
Parker also knew what to do when the ball came from his center.
