Different Method: Unbeaten Parkway doesn’t mind embracing the fruits of their hard work
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
The built-in mechanism for coaches is to tap the brakes. Focus on the present and avoid any discussion about the future.
Parkway’s sixth-year coach Coy Brotherton understands he’s a disciple of such a school of thought, but with his Panthers off to the school’s best season 12 in years, he prefers his team maintain its intensity level in practice with an eye on the future.
“In coaching talk, you’re always saying we’re taking it one week at a time,” Brotherton said. “We’ve gone to the opposite approach a bit. We’re working right now. We’ve got to keep practicing hard for what’s going to happen in November. We’ve got to keep practicing to make a playoff run. We’ve got to keep practicing hard if we want to be playing for the district title in Week 10.”
Parkway’s riding the crest of last week’s dramatic 48-43 comeback win over Bossier Parish rival Airline – their first win in the series in four years. Running back Braxxton Black delivered the game-winning touchdown, and the Panthers’ defense made it stand up.
Parkway (6-0) travels to face Huntington (3-3) at Independence Stadium in a District 1-5A matchup at 7 p.m. Friday. The Panthers, who trail No. 10 Evangel Christian Academy (5-1, 5-0) by a half game in the league standings, host Captain Shreve (4-2, 4-1) next week, followed by visits to Benton (2-4, 1-3) and Evangel.
“You don’t like looking ahead and all coaches will tell you that, but at the same time you have to remind these kids there’s a bigger picture than what’s in front of you right now,” said Brotherton, whose team is No. 6 in this week’s unofficial Division I non-select power ratings. “I think they’ve kind of bought into that, and it’s really made practice and the days around here better. They do see this big picture. They have some goals. They know that every day’s going to matter.”
With 10 starters back from a team that went 8-3 and was upset in the first round of the state playoffs by West Monroe, Parkway has operated on a much different level than most of its opponents.
The Panthers, led by senior quarterback Kaleb “KB” Williams, average 56 points a game – an increase of 14 points over last season – with a diversified running attack that’s benefited from solid offensive play. The team’s defense, led by a trio of linebackers, has helped to create a winning formula with a plus-13 advantage in turnover ratio.
“It’s a good start, and we do have a lot of guys’ backs from last year,” Brotherton said. “It’s where you’d hope you’d be. I don’t think you ever count on it. It’s definitely a goal of where you wanted to be and you hope to achieve it.
“Last year was a great year for us,” Brotherton said. “We battled a lot of injuries and suspensions. I think the experience, and what transpired last year, brought the team closer together and put more trust in everybody. A lot of kids that got experience last year that maybe weren’t expecting to get experience until their number was called. We battled a lot last year.”
Parkway went 13-0 and reached the Class 5A state championship game against Acadiana in 2013.
The Panthers, who were also state semifinalists two years later, have outscored their opponents this season by an average of 32 points and haven’t scored below 43 points since a season-opening win over Carroll.
“We’re not throwing the ball more than we have in the past,” Brotherton said of his no-huddle spread attack under third-year offensive coordinator Jacob James. “We’re taking shots down the field, and he’s (Williams) done a good job of picking his moment to take those shots, kind of take what the defense gives you and not force anything and try and be greedy. That’s allowed him to complete the passes that he has. He’s a point guard on the basketball team and kind of runs the point. He can distribute the ball.
“Last year we were very run-heavy,” Brotherton said. “We had a huge offensive line and leaned on those guys. We had a senior running back (C.J. Dudley) who had 26 touchdowns for us. The scoring’s still there, but it is a different makeup. There’s experience, and you see how the kids still run the ball. You just add the passing dynamic with KB this year. They complement each other. It seems to be working right now.”
Williams, the younger brother of LSU star guard Mikaylah Williams, put up some impressive numbers (1,289 yards, 21 TDs) in 2024 before a shoulder injury sidelined him for the last seven games of the season. The 6-foot-1, 165-pounder is in the midst of a torrid three-game stretch with 300+ yards in each game, passing for 943 yards and 12 TDs without an interception in 75 attempts.
He’s completed 93 of 122 passes (76.2 percent) for 1,599 yards with 24 TDs and two interceptions – putting him in position to eclipse school records for completion percentage and touchdowns in a season.
“Kaleb’s a three-year starter,” Brotherton said. “He missed some significant time because of a shoulder injury last year. It was nice to get him back this year, and he’s doing a great job of throwing the ball and getting it out and completing passes at a high percentage.”
Junior Gary Burney has continued the momentum from a productive second half of the 2024 season to lead Parkway with 40 catches for 729 yards – 18.2 yards per catch – and nine touchdowns. Senior Tony Gladney, an all-district running back in 2023, has flourished in his role at slot receiver with 23 receptions for 462 yards (20.1 yards per catch) and eight touchdowns, and senior Josh Coleman has 16 catches for 187 yards (11.7 yards per catch) and 4 TDs to his credit.
“Gary had a great second half of the year, and I think that experience helped him a lot,” said Brotherton, noting Burney received a scholarship offer from Arkansas State this summer. “Tony missed all of last year, and we’re glad to get him back. They’re two good targets out wide for KB.”
Parkway’s well-balanced production on the ground is the result of three running backs who have combined for 17 touchdowns.
Sophomore Damian Dacaldacal leads the way with 63 carries for 480 yards (7.6 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns. He’s followed by freshman AJ Johnson (42-281, 4 TDs) and Black (41-263, 6 TDs), who is a junior.
“We’ve rotated three running backs, that’s allowed us to keep those guys fresh for the second half and the fourth quarter,” Brotherton said. “When defenses are tired, they have fresh legs.”
Parkway has two returning starters up front and four seniors in all.
Senior left tackle Chris Green is the lone returning all-district member of the group. He’s joined by senior left guard Miller Jagot, senior center Pat Gray, a three-year starter, senior right guard Kirby Haskins, senior right tackle Thomas Staton, and senior tight end/H-back Draidyn Davis, a three-year starter.
“We have a lot of age experience there and a lot of size, and that helps,” Brotherton said.
Senior linebackers Brady Prine, Colby Lee, and Mark Copenhaver are part of a linebacker group that’s led the team in tackles.
Prine’s 58 tackles are 15 better than Lee and Copenhaver, who both have 43 stops. Lee has a team-best five interceptions and 5 tackles for loss, with Prine collecting 4.5 TFLs and Copenhaver 2.5, and sophomore safety Dallas Loche – the lone non-senior in the starting lineup – has picked off a team-high three passes.
“It helps being able to put three seniors out there with a lot of playing experience,” Brotherton said. “We try to filter everything back to the linebackers. The defensive ends do a good job of setting the edge and forcing the runs back to the inside. Mark’s a hybrid free safety/linebacker in the box. He’s able to kind of do it all, a Swiss Army knife on defense. He makes a lot of that go for us.”
Junior defensive end Rod Johnson, who is sixth on the team with 30 tackles and tops in TFLs with 5.5, has enjoyed a breakthrough year.
“He’s having a phenomenal year,” Brotherton said. “He’s probably our best player on defense right now.
Airline commanded Parkway’s attention for several reasons. Not only had the Vikings won the last three games in the series with the Panthers, but they were also the reigning District 1-5A champions and possessed one of the state’s top offenses with LSU wide receiver Kenny Darby.
Parkway led 20-6 at halftime, but unlike any of its previous five games, found itself trailing for the first time in the second half. In fact, there would be a total of eight lead changes, presenting the Panthers with their first true wire-to-wire test.
“We knew Airline came in on a two-game losing streak,” Brotherton said. “They’re still the district champion, and they’re still the team that people want to knock off because of the success they’ve had the last three years. Not only was it a rival game in North-South Bossier, but it’s a game where it’s kind of the benchmark. That’s kind of where you want to compare yourself to. They’ve earned that right by winning the last couple of years.”
Airline (3-3, 1-3) scored twice in the third quarter and took a 22-20 lead on Darby’s rushing touchdown, coupled with a successful two-point conversion.
Parkway responded with consecutive touchdowns for a 34-22 lead – one on offense and the second on defense – to set in motion a chain of events in which the two teams combined to score 57 points in the second half, and safely reach the end zone on eight of nine possessions.
“Not many people would have predicted that both teams would be under 50,” Brotherton quipped. “Even though there was 90-something points combined on both sides, the defenses played very well.”
The combination of Williams to Burney worked for a 57-yard score, and Lee added the defense’s second interception of the game. His 14-yard return for a score made it 34-32 lead in the third quarter.
The teams exchanged touchdowns – bridging the third and fourth quarters – when Airline grabbed a 43-42 lead with four minutes to play.
Williams, who passed for a 12-yard score to Johnson for his fourth passing TD of the game, led an eight-play drive that resulted in a second rushing TD from Black, a 1-yard effort with 1:15 remaining.
“Airline had just taken the lead, and we felt like we had to answer, and we converted some big plays,” Brotherton said. “There was a big fourth-down completion, Antonio (Gladney) that set up Rod’s touchdown. Airline went down and scored again and it’s, here we go again. We had a good scramble drill where KB kept his eyes down the field and hit Gabe Gray for a big first down.
“Once we got into plus territory, you start working the clock,” Brotherton said. “You’re thinking whether to kick a field goal or score a touchdown to win this thing. (Airline) Coach (Justin) Scrogin was calling timeouts. There was a lot of clock management, a lot of decisions on that drive. We knew we were going to have to run the ball because we wanted to run the clock and not give Airline time to score. Braxxton had two great runs that picked up first downs, and we got it in the end zone at the end.”
Parkway applied some pressure, and Johnson recorded a sack that forced Airline into a difficult fourth-and-eight situation. Following the Vikings’ final time out with 25 seconds to play, Brotherton said his defense was prepared for the hook-and-ladder play, which Peyton Rayner, who had an interception that led to a score in the second quarter, tackled the ball carrier to end the dramatic contest.
“My message to them after the game was that this was the first time this year we’ve been behind in the second half and first time in the first quarter and then had to score on a last-second drive,” Brotherton said. “I’ve coached 21 years, and there’s been five or six times I can remember having to score on the last drive to win a game. It’s something that doesn’t happen often in high school sports. You can use that to say you’re never out of a game and at the same time you’re never ahead by too many either.”