The well-deserved post-game hug Roswell star safety Xavier McKinney received from his mom may have lasted longer than the Hornets' opening playoff game against Parkview on Friday. This one was over after the first quarter.
No. 3 Roswell jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first quarter and cruised to a 63-25 win over visiting Parkview in the opening round of the Class AAAAAA state playoffs.
The Hornets will host Camden County, a 38-17 winner over Hillgrove, next week in the second round.
"It's a great feeling, when we're all executing and on the same page," said McKinney, who is committed to Alabama. "We played great, outstanding. This is a great win for us."
McKinney picked off two passes and returned a kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown, and Sheldon Evans scored five touchdowns, all in a dominating first half that snowballed after a failed gamble by Parkview.
Trailing 7-0 and facing a 4th and 17 from their own 2-yard line, the Panthers attempted a fake punt, but the pass was broken up, turning the ball over to the Hornets. Evans plowed in from 2 yards out on the next play to extend the lead to 14-0. It got worse for the Panthers from there.
Parkview turned it over four times in the first half and also failed to convert on a 4th-and-17 fake punt from its own 2-yard line. McKinney returned his first interception of the game 61 yards to the Parkview 1-yard line, setting up another Evans touchdown run. LeAnthony Williams also picked off a pass, and Marcelino Ball recovered a fumble in the first half for the Hornets.
Parkview coach Eric Godfree thought pass interference should have been called on the fake punt, but acknowledged that his team would have needed a lot of big plays to keep up with the explosive Hornets.
"They're very good," said Godfree, who guided the Panthers back to the postseason after a two-year playoff drought.
Four of Roswell's first five drives started in Parkview territory. Quarterback Quintarius Neely threw touchdown passes to Kendrick Jackson and Jayden Comma in the first half. The Hornets led 49-7 halftime.
Jackson also scored on a 67-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Neely finished 9 of 12 passes for 110 yards and the two touchdowns.
Garrett Fowler and Jaylen Askew caught touchdowns, and Deion Slade added a late touchdown run for the Panthers.
PARKVIEW -- 0 7 3 15 -- 25
ROSWELL -- 28 21 14 0 - 63
R -- Kendrick Jackson 3 pass from Quintarius Neely (Turner Barckhoff kick)
R -- Sheldon Evans 3 run (Barckhoff kick)
R -- Evans 1 run (Barckhoff kick) 21-0, 2:14
R -- Evans 19 run (Barckhoff kick) 28-0, 0:51
2nd
R -- Evans 6 run (Barckhoff kick) 35-0
R -- Evans 3 run (Barckhoff kick) 42-0, 7:43
P -- Garrett Fowler 12 pass from Jack Taylor (Barckhoff kick) 42-7
R -- Jayden Comma 3 pass from Neely (Barckhoff kick) 49-7
3rd
P -- Will Chandler 29 field goal
R -- Xavier McKinney 70 kickoff return (Barckholff kick)
R -- Jackson 67 run (Barckhoff kick)
4th
P -- Deion Slade 2 run (Blake Gills run)
P -- Jaylen Askew 19 pass from Caleb Mitchell (Chandler kick)
