Terrance Little has another big game as Hazelwood East pulls away from Parkway Central

By Warren Mayes, Special to the Post-Dispatch

SPANISH LAKE — Hazelwood East senior running back Terrance Little looks likes he’s in the blocks ready for the gun to start the 100-yard dash.

He runs track, but he also runs the football. Little rushed for 265 yards and scored four touchdowns, leading the Spartans to a 40-6 victory over the Parkway Central Colts in the Suburban Conference Green Pool opener for both teams Thursday night.

“I ran track so that’s where I got that stance from,” Little said. “Last year, I was in a regular 3-point stance. This year, I changed cause I get out faster doing that. I’m more comfortable.”

The 5-foot-8, 180-pound Little scored on runs of 1, 13, 26 and 27 yards in helping the Spartans improve to 2-0 overall.

Last week, Little rushed for 262 yards on 14 carries and scored five touchdowns.

“I give all the credit to my offensive line,” Little said. “I can’t do it without them.”

Spartans coach Bobby Cole wants him to keep producing.

“That was a similar game to what he had last week,” Cole said. “He’s an awesome back. He’s hard to tackle. His center of gravity is low.”

Key stats

The Spartans ran for 407 yards as a team, and the passing game added another 84 yards.

“We got the victory, but we could have played a lot better,” Cole said. “Our defense really kept us in the game in the first half.”

Senior lineman Oscar Chatman said the defense wanted to do its job.

“We can do better, but we took care of things in the box,” Chatman said. “We can stop the run.”

The Colts (1-1 overall, 0-1 conference) were unable to get their ground game going.

Parkway Central gained just 19 yards on 20 rushes.

“They've got some good guys at East,” Colts coach Ryan King said. “They have good guys up front. They have good linebackers. They have good skill guys and a really good running back.”

Blocked punt turns into TD

Spartans senior Amarion Hill blocked a Colts punt at the 4:16 mark in the first quarter. The ball was downed on the Colts’ 27-yard line.

On the first play, East junior quarterback Tyshawn Tillman pitched the ball and it hit the ground. Little scooped up the ball like a shortstop and darted down the left sideline for the touchdown. The attempted extra-point kick was no good, leaving East ahead 6-0.

Poor snap leads to score

A snap sailed over the head of Central punter Parker Russell, and he was unable to kick. He was hit and the Spartans took over at the Colts 14.

Three plays later, Tillman snuck in from the 1 at 10:26 of the second quarter. A poor snap foiled the extra point attempt, and the Spartans led 12-0.

Colts get on the board

Russell booted a 22-yard field goal with 6:30 left in the first half to make it 12-3.

A 40-yard completion to sophomore Phoenix Hula coupled with a roughing the passer penalty set the Colts up at the Spartans’ 15.

A pass interference call moved the ball to East's 5, but the Colts were unable to dent the end zone.

With 58 seconds left in the game, Russell connected from 32 yards.

“He did a really good job for us,” King said. “He’s new to kicking. He was a soccer player last year. He’s going to be a really good kicker for us.”

Third quarter scores

Little scored his second touchdown with 5:04 left in the third quarter when he ran in from the 13. A two-point conversion pass failed, putting the Spartans up 18-3.

Hazelwood East added another touchdown when Tillman scored from the 1 with 2 minutes showing.

The touchdown was set up when senior Dion Hentz intercepted a pass at the Spartans’ 34. On the next play, Hentz caught a 36-yard pass. Four plays later, Tillman scored. A two-point run gave the Spartans a 26-3 advantage.

Fourth quarter

Tillman ran in from the 26 to score his third touchdown with 11:39 to play. A two-point run made it 34-3.

Little scored his fourth touchdown on a 1-yard plunge with 5:27 to play. The kick failed, leaving the Spartans up 40-3.

Laundry on the field

The Spartans were whistled for 115 yards on 12 penalties.

“Obviously, we have to play more disciplined,” Cole said. “We have to clean that up.”

Sack city

Parkway Central senior Israel Anjorin recorded two sacks in the first half that totaled 15 yards in losses.

“We had a great pass rush in the first half,” King said.

Punt from where?

The Spartans received the opening kickoff. A fake punt by senior Anthony Williams Jr. resulted in a 26-yard gain to the 50 to keep the drive alive.

After stalling at the Colts’ 26, Hazelwood East opted to punt. The decision worked as Williams’ kick was downed at the Parkway Central 7.

First start

Parkway Central sophomore Chase Stearns made his first varsity start. The 6-foot Stearns saw time in last week’s season opening 6-0 home win over Parkway South. He completed 3 of 4 passes for 26 yards. Junior starter Colin Applebaum got hurt in the first half and Stearns took over.

Stearns finished with 16 of 23 passing for 151 yards.

“He’s good,” senior tight end Paul Brown said about Stearns. “He’s learning. I’m real proud of him.”