Preseason football: Jayden Parrish, Atlantic defense impress in Kickoff Classic win
DELRAY BEACH — There are highlight-reel type hits and then there are the kind of hits where the defender collides with the ball carrier so perfectly that the sound resonates throughout the stadium.
That’s the kind of tackle Atlantic senior linebacker Jayden Parrish had in the fourth quarter Thursday night.
Parrish, a Florida State commit, squared up the Palm Beach Central running back at the line of scrimmage. Even if fans weren’t paying attention to the action on the field, they would have heard the thud when the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Parrish made contact.
The sound of the tackle quickly was drowned out by the noise — a collective gasp that quickly turned into a cheer — from the stunned crowd.
“I just know once I’m coming down, I can feel my power through my legs. I just know it’s going to be a big hit,” Parrish said. “I use all my technique and drive through him. It feels good and to hear the crowd, it made it feel even better.”
The hit — one of several big plays for Parrish, who also had a sack in the fourth quarter — effectively served as an exclamation point on Atlantic’s 15-0 shutout of Palm Beach Central in the Kickoff Classic.
The defense contained Central’s heralded receiving duo of Waden Charles and Kamari Williams, primarily because of a relentless pass rush that made it difficult for the Broncos to get into any type of a rhythm.
More football: Results from preseason games across Palm Beach County
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Parrish rated the defense’s performance as a 10 out of 10.
“We played four quarters and that’s what coach has been teaching us all summer, to play four quarters,” he said. “Last year, we had a problem with playing four quarters. We lost a couple close games. This year, that was our key.”
It’s hard to overstate how much Parrish means to the defense, and how much his presence impacts the opposition. Parrish set up a sack by faking a blitz and drawing the quarterback’s attention. That distraction kept the quarterback from seeing the backside pressure that quickly got home.
“They have to respect his game,” Atlantic coach Jamelle Murray said. “You have to respect all good players and he’s one of them. He requires respect and he goes and gets it.”
Parrish has been committed to Florida State since early April and has not swayed from that decision. He didn’t take any official visits during the summer and the only one he’s planning is to Tallahassee in December.
Kentucky, UCF and Miami also are showing interest, but Parrish is locked in on the Seminoles and the relationship he’s built with the staff.
“I love coach (Randy) Shannon,” he said. “Coach Shannon, coach (Mike) Norvell, we’re really locked in right now. I know coach Shannon. He coached at the NFL level and I know he has what it takes to get me to that level.”
Jon Santucci is the statewide high school football recruiting reporter for the USA Today Florida Network. He can be reached at jsantucci@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Jayden Parrish, Atlantic defense impress in preseason Kickoff Classic
