Parkway Central Overpowers Webster With Big Second Half Flurry

The story of Monday’s MSHSAA Class 5 sectional round football game between Webster Groves and Parkway Central could probably be best told as a tale of right and wrong.

In the first half, visiting Webster Groves did virtually everything right, with big plays and big hits, and built for itself a 20-7 halftime lead.

But in the second half, it was Parkway Central that could do no wrong, as it stormed back with 35 points in the final 24 minutes, to advance past sectionals and into the state quarterfinals, with a 42-26 win over the Statesmen.

“We didn’t get much going in the first half, but we got a pretty good start to the second half,” Central coach Mark Goldenberg said. “And then they settled in. And once we got all that bad stuff behind us, we felt like we could play a lot better.”

Indeed they did, as the Colts quickly erased the halftime deficit with two quick touchdowns at the start of the third quarter, and added a two-point conversion, to take a 22-20 lead.

Backfield mates Alan Gasanli and Jace Roman scored the two touchdowns on a pair of short runs, and quarterback Cole Gorman found backup tight end Nick Schneider in the back of the end zone on a two-point pass to give the Colts the lead.

“It really happened in a flurry,” Goldenberg said. “We talked about coming out strong in the second half, and we definitely did that.”

Gasanli, who finished with a game-high 175 yards and three touchdowns for the Colts, extended Central’s edge to 28-20, when he broke loose for a 52-yard run midway through the third.

“We had to regroup,” Gasanli said. “We knew what we needed to do. We just had to come out and do it. The offensive line picked it up. We executed the plays better and it came out all good.”

Webster’s Michael Cole, who had two long touchdown runs on the night, brought the Statesmen back to within 28-26, with a sensational 43-yard run up the left sideline, late in the third quarter.

But unfortunately for the Statesmen, they failed on a two-point conversion run that would’ve tied the score, and never got any closer nor could they take the lead.

“I thought we would be fine,” Webster coach Cliff Ice said. "The defense was playing great, we were running the ball pretty well. But they came out and they had a lot more fire than we did."

Central added two more scores in the fourth quarter, on runs by Gasanli and Logan Boyher, to put the game out of reach—a surprising turn of events considering Webster’s brilliant first half.

The Statesmen, who fell behind after a fourth-down scoring run by Central’s Brandon Sheperd on the Colts’ first possession, got a 60-yard touchdown on a shuffle pass to Dante Flowers to tie the score.

They then surged into the lead, thanks to a a pair of field goals by kicker Ben Kemper, and an 80-yard scoring burst up the middle by Cole.

Webster is now 9-2 this season, with potentially one game left, the Turkey Day Game against rival Kirkwood High.

But that could be in jeopardy, if Kirkwood continues to advance in the state playoffs.

The Pioneers defeated Wentzville Holt High, 48-0, on Monday, and will play Camdenton on Saturday.

Should Kirkwood keep winning and advance to the state championship game on November 26, then the junior varsity squads would play the Turkey Day contest.

Central, which is now 10-1 this season, will play Hazelwood East in the state quarterfinals, this Saturday, at PCH Stadium, at 1:30 p.m.

East earned its trip to the quarters by defeating McCluer 25-14.

Scoring Summary

Score by Quarters

F

Webster Groves

7

13

6

0

26

Parkway Central

7

0

21

14

42

First Quarter

PC: Brandon Sheperd 2 yd run (Zack Lazenby kick), 7:09

WG: Dante Flowers 60 yd pass from Rayshawn Simmons (Ben Kemper kick), 5:36

Second Quarter

WG: Ben Kemper 27 yd FG 6:05

WG: Michael Cole 80 yd run (Ben Kemper kick), 3:51

WG: Ben Kemper 38 yd FG :00

Third Quarter

PC: Alan Gasanli 6 yd run (Zack Lazenby kick), 9:18

PC: Jace Roman 1 yd run (Nick Schneider pass from Cole Gorman), 8:26

PC: Alan Gasanli 52 yd run (run failed), 5:06

WG: Michael Cole 43 yd run (run failed), 2:51

Fourth Quarter

PC: Alan Gasanli 11 yd run (Zack Lazenby kick), 11:42

PC: Logan Boyher 8 yd run (Zack Lazenby kick), 2:45