Naquan Thomason is a quality running back eager to make an impact out of the backfield for the Parkland football team.
Thomason revealed flourishes of what he’s capable of with 58 yards on 18 carries.
But it was what he did on special teams that will be remembered as the signature moment of his team’s 18-7 win over Freedom on Friday night.
Thomason broke through the protection on a Patriots punt, smothered the attempted kick, retrieved the loose ball and then rambled 18 yards for what proved to be the clinching touchdown for the Trojans with 7:03 left in the third quarter.
The key pivotal play didn’t come by accident. Thomason said it was a designed play.
“Me and my coach [special teams coach Bob Ruisch] have been working on it all week,” Thomason, a 5-foot-7, 180-pound junior, said. “We knew they were going to block it inside, and I’ve been working hard to get a push inside on every single rep. Their first punter went out of the game, and I think that contributed to it. I don’t remember too much about it other than I just knew I had to get to the ball. I told my coach I was going to block it before it happened.”
Thomason’s touchdown represented the only Parkland points over the last three quarters.
The Trojans got a 13-yard run by Liam Spang on their first possession, which was followed by a Nassim Adams on the third play of Freedom’s first drive.
Parkland was able to capitalize on the takeaway to go 30 yards and score on Finn Coen’s 5-yard pass to Jaren Sanchez.
But neither a PAT kick attempt nor a two-point conversion pass was successful, so Parkland led 12-0 with 5:09 left in the first quarter.
That lead was trimmed to five when speedy Freedom back Lashawn Johnson broke loose for a 50-yard TD run and Nathan Stannard added the PAT with 6:22 left in the half.
The Patriots had other chances to add points. In fact, they had a first-and-goal at the Parkland 10 late in the first half, but a hard hit by Dom Matrich popped the ball loose from quarterback Michael Stofanak, and Michael Car recovered.
Neither team could sustain an offensive drive after halftime, and Thomason’s special teams play stood as the only points by either team in the second half.
While it was far from a perfect performance by Parkland – the Trojans were actually outgained 219-201 – it was about what veteran coach Tim Moncman expected from his team, which played the second half without star running back T.J. Lawrence due to cramps.
“We knew coming into the season that offensively we’d have some work to do, and I thought our defense would have to carry us, and I thought we played real well on that side of the ball tonight,” Moncman said. “Offensively, Finn, in his second start, played excellent. We had a two-headed backfield going until T.J. went out. So, defensively, we’re in a good place. Offensively, we’re getting there.”
Coen completed his first six passes and finished 7 of 11 overall for 38 yards with one interception.
Adams had three catches for 26 yards.
The Trojans kept it on the ground 34 times with Lawrence gaining 57 yards before going out and Spang contributing 39 yards on five carries.
Parkland put the game away with a late drive that chewed up more than eight minutes and covered 13 plays and 41 yards.
The fact that Freedom was still within striking distance deep into the game was of no consolation to Patriots coach Jason Roeder, whose team showed marked improvement after losing its opener 47-7 to Downingtown West.
“We’re not into moral victories,” Roeder said. “That was my message here at the end. We’ve got to start winning football games. And you know that starts with our JV game [Saturday] morning. It starts with the bus ride home tonight. It’s going to be Week 3, and there are no excuses. Everyone’s got a job to do and a job to do better. That’s the message. It’s time to put up or shut up.”
Recent history
Parkland and Freedom have met 15 times since 2015, including five postseason meetings. The Trojans are now 11-5 in that stretch, but Friday’s game marked the lowest scoring contest between the perennial powers since a 17-0 Parkland win in 2016.
What’s next
Freedom visits Allentown Central Catholic in a Saturday night game while Parkland hosts Northampton on Friday. The Trojans beat the Konkrete Kids 23-14 last season, while the Patriots routed ACCHS 49-15.
At another level
Freedom coach Jason Roeder is proud of his team’s success over the previous 20 seasons in charge of the Patriots. But he’s just as proud of the number of kids he has sent on to the next level.
Currently, these Freedom grads are playing college football:
Jared Jenkins, Class of 2020, Moravian; Jalen Stewart, ‘20, Temple; Ethan Ferry, ’21, US Merchant Marine Academy; A.J. Fletcher, ‘21, Bluefield State; Deante Crawford, ’21, East Stroudsburg; Lorenzo Feliciano, ‘22, Moravian; Braelin Moore, ’22, LSU; Josh Ruela, ’22, Moravian; Jalen Fletcher, ’23, Lackawanna; Kyle Johnson, ’23, Harvard; Owen Johnson, ’23, Harvard; John Roeder, ’23, Muhlenberg; Alexie Sangster, ’23, Cal U of PA; Bray Curry, ’24, Eastern; Zach Irvin, ’24, Moravian; Aaron Beete, ’25, Kutztown; Amare Dubois, ’25, Lincoln; Jelani Fedrick, ’25, Long Island University; Gabe Fihlman, ’25, Mass Maritime; Dylan Hill, ’25, Middlebury; Jayden Macon, ’25, Lock Haven; Justin Peluso, ‘25, Lafayette; Ryan Roeder, ‘25, Muhlenberg; Hunter Sporka, ’25, Springfield and Tanner Wheeler, ’25, Richmond.
Scoring summary
Freedom 0 – 7 – 0 – 0 — 7
Parkland 12 – 0 – 6 – 0 — 18
FIRST QUARTER
P: Liam Spang 13 run (kick blocked), 8:52
P: Jaren Sanchez 5 pass from Finn Coen (pass failed) 5:09
SECOND QUARTER
F: Lashawn Johnson 50 run (Nathan Stannard kick), 6:22
THIRD QUARTER
P: Naquan Thomason 15 run with blocked punt (run failed), 7:03
