Both Parkway and Haughton entered Thursday with momentum from Week 2 wins.
But the Panthers’ playmakers wasted no time setting the tone and lighting up the home scoreboard for a 66-21 win.
Haughton (1-2) struck first. Taylor Weathersby connected with his target for a 66-yard touchdown to Brandon Craig — just the third snap of the game — but Parkway’s response had the feel of a team looking to score fast.
Freshman AJ Washington’s 25-yard sprint opened the Panthers’ drive, and sophomore Damian Dacaldacal Jr. crashed in for the short score. Washington bulldozed in for the two-point conversion and the 8-7 lead.
And Parkway (3-0) never looked back.
Defense and special teams added fuel to the fire. After a quick stand, senior Mark Copenhaver fired up the Panthers’ sideline with a big punt return, setting the table for Kaleb “KB” Williams to find Gary Burney for a 36-yard strike. Dacaldacal delivered two more points on the ground, and Parkway was up, 16-7.
Parkway had no patience in waiting to get the ball back — converting on a successful onside kick, which JP McGovern pounced on in Haughton territory.
Williams made it count, launching an alley-oop to Antonio Gladney for another touchdown, and another two-point conversion swing extended the margin to 24-7 before the first mandatory hydration timeout.
Brady Prine and Dallas Loche got the defense into the act.
Prine applied constant pressure, and Loche picked off a pass to give the Panthers all they needed to stay out front.
Sophomore Braxxton Black cashed in a touchdown after a Dacadacal 38-yard rumble, and Copenhaver intercepted a screen pass for a pick-six to close out the first quarter with Parkway up, 38-7.
Haughton wouldn’t go down without a fight. Weathersby connected with Decarlos Johns and scrambled for another score.
Once again the Panthers answered. Gladney streaked for a 49-yard touchdown, and Dacaldacal pushed in another to push the halftime margin to 52-21.
Gladney hauled in his third long touchdown catch in the third quarter, and the running clock told the story.
Haughton looks to rebound next week at home against Huntington, while Parkway will welcome Natchitoches Central for its fourth straight home game.
