Parker hopes to take full advantage of the home advantage against Saraland

On Friday night, Protective Stadium rocks with the sounds of a large crowd of Parker Thundering Herd fans cheering on their team in the 6A state championship game against Saraland (13-0).

“It’s like it was meant for Parker,” Parker coach Frank Warren said of the title game being played in Birmingham. “It has been over 44 years since we played in the championship game. Being here at Protective this year is like a dream come true. You can’t write a better story than this.”

“It’s right outside the door. The championship is right around the corner,” said defensive back Na’eem Offord. “It’s something big. Normally it takes place in Auburn or Alabama, but it’s right here in town. Saraland is not even close to here, which is huge for us. We’ve been waiting for this moment, so we’ll be excited.”

“I’m not saying it’s an advantage, but the city is there for us, so it’s literally our show,” defensive lineman Jourdin Crawford said. “So we’re going to make a show out of it.”

The last time Parker (13-1) played in a state championship game was exactly 44 years ago. The Herd lost 15-13 to Vestavia Hills in the 1980 4A championship game at Legion Field.

This year’s game could once again be a low-scoring affair. Yes, Saraland has a strong offense led by quarterback KJ Lacey that averages 45 points per game. But Parker’s defense is elite with elite players like Crawford and Offord signing D-1 scholarships on Wednesday. The Herd only gives up 10 points per game. And if you subtract the 48 points they gave up in their only loss of the season against Carrollton, Georgia, they are giving up just under 7 points per game.

“I feel like our defense is the best,” Crawford said. “We rarely give up points. We play a good offense, but we saw more than a good offense. This is nothing new for us.”

Case in point: Oxford reached the semifinals with a talented quarterback in Mason Mims, who led an offense that scored 35 points per game. The Parker D held the Yellow Jackets to seven points. When it comes to keeping up with the tough Saraland Trojans, the 6A runner-up a year ago, Offord likes his team. A lot.

“I think we can keep up with them very well,” Offord said. “Not just the defense, but also our offense. On the offensive side we have some good players who know what they are doing. We have a great game plan ahead of us. I’m just looking forward to it being a good game.”

“There’s star power on both sides of the ball,” Warren said. “Saraland has a great offense and they have guys that play great defense as well. But we also have people on both sides of the ball. If I didn’t coach it, I’d be sitting in the stands watching it.”

The stands will be full and Protective will be electric on Friday evening at 7pm.