Columbus football team gets back on winning track with a victory against Miami High
After two rough losses that left a pretty bad taste in their mouths, the Columbus Explorers got back on track Thursday evening.
The Explorers sent their homecoming crowd home happy with a lopsided 45-18 victory over previously unbeaten Miami High in a District 15-8A opener for both teams at Columbus High School.
But don’t be fooled by the final score. This was a one-possession game with 10:08 left as the Stingarees, on the strength of a strong performance by running quarterback Makai Lovett (77 yards rushing, 134 passing), rallied with two touchdowns in a three-minute span to pull within 24-18.
But as fast as the Stings rallied, Columbus (3-2, 1-0) put them away just as fast when the Explorers, led by running back Henry Parrish, scored three touchdowns in a span of 3:31 to put the game away.
“There were a lot of things we did good, but a lot of things that still need plenty of work as well,” first year Columbus coach David Dunn said. “We were clean and didn’t turn the ball over but had a few too many penalties, and we need to finish off drives a little better in the red zone. But overall, still a good win and a much-needed win.”
Parrish, who finished his day with 136 yards on 13 carries and two scores and also reeled in an 11-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Brandon McDuffie, bolted 35 yards for a score less than a minute after MHS (4-1, 0-1) had cut its deficit to six.
On the ensuing kickoff, Miami High kickoff returner Steve Augustine was stripped of the ball, which popped up in the air. Columbus’ Dedrick Browder picked the ball out of the air and trotted 22 yards to the end zone to make it 38-18.
A high snap over the Miami High punter’s head on the next series gave the Explorers the ball at the 2, and Maykel Solis plunged into the end zone on the next play to complete the quick three-touchdown onslaught and finish off the scoring.
“Today was important, we needed to get back on track,” said Parrish, a Pittsburgh commit. “We didn’t play as a team the last few games and had to come out and get back to business and play the way we know we’re capable of playing. We still need to clean up on some things and move forward, but tonight was a step in the right direction.”
It also was an important win for Dunn, who candidly admitted after the game that he hasn’t been doing a good enough job after returning to the Columbus sideline (where he coached in the late ‘90s) after spending the past 20 years coaching in college.
“I’ve got a lot to learn about coaching in high school again,” Dunn said. “I haven’t been back here in 20 years and spent that entire time in college, so I need to do a better job coaching this team. Looking at it now, I think I probably threw too much at them too fast offensively and that’s on me. I have to scale that back a little and give the kids some room. We’ll get better.”
This story was originally published September 26, 2019 at 9:16 PM.