Atlanta Falcons HS Coach of the Week: Rockmart's Biff Parson

FALCONS HS COACH OF THE WEEK

Today, we highlight the most recent recipient of Atlanta Falcons HS Coach of the Week, Rockmart's Biff Parson. Also, Tuesday's softball and volleyball results are posted below. Visit ScoreATL.com for more fall sports coverage, including rankings and scores.

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

IN THIS ISSUE

FALCONS HS COACH OF THE WEEK

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TUESDAY SCORES

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FALCONS HS COACH OF THE WEEK

By Craig Sager II

The Atlanta Falcons Coach of the Week program recognizes high school football coaches across the state of Georgia for their hard work and dedication to making a difference in student-athletes’ lives on and off the field. Rockmart head coach Biff Parson is the second winner of the 2018 season and his Yellow Jackets are on a roll as they gear up for Friday night’s Region 7-AA opener against Armuchee.

The level of success being experienced with Parson at the helm had eluded the nearly century-old Rockmart program (established 1923) for decades prior to his 2016 arrival.

Parson has spent his whole life around the game of football and this depth of experience has strongly influenced the standard he implements with his ascending program.

His father Ronnie was a long-time assistant and head football coach in Georgia and growing up around the game revealed to Parson at a young age that he too wanted to get into coaching. He grew up playing quarterback at Franklin County High School and his talents led him to continue his career at Liberty College (1997-2001) and with the Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2002). Biff also got to experience all three levels as a coach before landing in Rockmart. His many stops include Liberty, NFL Europe’s Frankfurt Galaxy, Hart County, Villa Rica, Dublin, Lamar County, Mary Persons and Banks County.

Since taking over, Rockmart has posted back-to-back 9-3 finishes and this past season included a school-record 41 points per game and the school’s first region title since 1988. This generated a lot of excitement heading into this year, and the team’s impressive 3-0 start is amplifying it. Two of the three victories came against ranked opponents (Cedartown and Heard County) and the Yellow Jackets have won by an average of 27.7 points per game.

“Coach Parson has made an impact on our sports programs that Rockmart High School has not experienced in many years,” said Athletic Director Barry Williams. “I have worked with many coaches over the years and Biff has a unique combination of communicating and coaching that breeds success.”

Defensively, Rockmart is holding opponents to just seven points per game, something Parson couldn’t be happier to see out of a group comprised of several first-time contributors.

“It’s been a really big surprise for us,” said Parson of his defense. “We had to replace so many defenders from last year and we’ve got some guys that are first-year guys that have never played the game as far as a varsity level is concerned. So for them to buy in and make it a priority to be one of the top defenses in Class AA is great to see. I would truly be blessed to be able to say that defense is going to be our identity this year. They are bringing a lot of energy and it gets our kids really fired up.”

Parson’s offense is features a deep backfield with tremendous speed. Leading the group is Zabrion Whatley, who rushed for 20 touchdowns a year ago and finished third in state in the 100 meters with a blazing 10.8. Whatley’s younger brother Javin showcased his speed on an 80-yard punt return a couple weeks ago and placed second in the state in the 100 meter hurdles as a freshman last year. Senior Markus Smith adds even more playmaking ability to the offensive side of the ball and is back in the mix after a meniscus repair sidelined him for the first two games of this season.

“The biggest thing that I’ve learned through my years of coaching is that if all I do is teach the players how to block and tackle, then I failed them,” explained Parson. “I have failed them as a leader, I have failed them as a coach and I have failed them as a mentor. At the end of the day, it’s about when they are 30-35 years old, the life lessons that they have learned through this program and through the game of football that is going to make them a better man in society and that is what we need in our male figures these days.”

Each week, one coach will be selected to be the Atlanta Falcons Coach of the Week based on his commitment to his team, community and player safety. The winning coach will receive a $1,000 equipment grant, a commemorative football and tickets to an Atlanta Falcons home game.

To nominate a varsity football coach: Click Here

Rolling nominations will be accepted until Nov. 1.

TUESDAY SCORES

On the softball field, Mt. Vernon Freshman Kendall Slayden racked up a win on the circle, throwing for six innings while accumulating five strikeouts to help lead the Mustangs to a 6-5 victory over Landmark Christian.

The Buford Wolves hosted Cedar Shoals and went on a scoring spree that forced the game to end after three innings. Junior Ansleigh Hollifield smacked two homers while Anabel Adams had one, fueling the Wolves offense to their 15-0 victory over the Jaguars. Class AAAAAA first-ranked Allatoona traveled to Harrison in search of a tough region win. The Buccaneers walked away with a 7-0 shutout over the Hoyas. A decisive matchup between Eastside and Hampton resulted in a 4-3 Hornets victory, a strong win for Hampton who sits just below Eastside in the rankings.

On the volleyball court, the Lassiter Trojans continued to roll, defeating Cherokee 3-0 to extend their win streak to ten. The Pope Greyhounds defeated North Atlanta and Chattahoochee in two sets, bringing their region record to 6-0. Eliza Dees accumulated 39 assists while Caroline Wiseman led the team with three blocks. Blessed Trinity swept Flowery Branch 2-0 before facing off against rivals Marist. After losing to Marist three times last season, the last loss coming in the Class AAAA Championship, Blessed Trinity walked away with a 2-1 victory over the War Eagles.

Tuesday Final Scores

Softball

Academy For Classical Education 15, Wilkinson County 0

Allatoona 7, Harrison 0

Apalachee 4, Habersham Central 1

Baconton Charter 15, Terrell County 0

Banks County 6, Union County 1

Berrien 17, Early County 0

Bowdon 11, Whitefield Academy 1

Bremen 12, Callaway 0

Brooks County 8, Thomasville 4

Buford 15, Cedar Shoals 0

Calhoun County 20, Randolph-Clay 5

Calvary Day 4, Islands 2

Cambridge 14, Alpharetta 6

Campbell 12, Westlake 10

Cass 9, Rome 1

Central-Carroll 14, Cedartown 1

Chamblee 4, Arabia Mountain 3

Chapel Hill 8, Sandy Creek 1

Chattooga 8, Dade County 6

Christian Heritage 11, Fellowship Christian 0

Collins Hill 8, Duluth 0

Dacula 2, Lanier 0

Darlington 13, King's Ridge 6

Dodge County 20, Northeast-Macon 0

Drew 20, Lovejoy 19

East Hall 13, Fannin County 4

East Laurens 14, Washington County 0

East Paulding 6, Villa Rica 2

Echols County 5, Charlton County 1

Elbert County 13, Rabun County 3

Fitzgerald 16, Valdosta 1

Forsyth Central 10, Lambert 2

George Walton Academy 8, Hebron Christian 1

Georgia Military 11, Washington-Wilkes 2

Gilmer 7, Ridgeland 3

Gordon Lee 6, Mt. Paran Christian 0

Hampton 4, Eastside 3

Haralson County 4, Ringgold 3

Harlem 16, Josey 0

Howard 4, Upson-Lee 1

Jackson County 11, Monroe Area 1

Lanier County 1, Atkinson County 0

Lincoln County 12, Glascock County 4

Lumpkin County 7, Dawson County 4

Marist 9, Blessed Trinity 0

Miller County 14, Pelham 1

Morgan County 4, Hart County 3

Mt. Vernon Presbyterian 6, Landmark Christian 5

New Manchester 18, Mays 2

Newton 11, South Gwinnett 3

North Hall 6, Greater Atlanta Christian 0

North Murray 4, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 1

Northwest Whitfield 9, Southeast Whitfield 1

Oconee County 10, North Oconee 2

Peachtree Ridge 6, Mountain View 5

Pepperell 6, Gordon Central 2

Pike County 8, Eagles Landing Christian 2

Pope 8, Chattahoochee 0

Riverwood 13, Jackson 1

Rockmart 15, Model 0

Roswell 9, Walton 1

Seminole County 19, Pataula Charter 0

Sonoraville 5, Coahulla Creek 4

South Atlanta 25, Coretta Scott King 12

South Forsyth 7, North Forsyth 6

Southland Academy 10, Deerfield-Windsor 0

Southwest 16, Twiggs County 6

Southwest DeKalb 3, Decatur 0

Southwest Georgia Academy 7, Westwood (GISA) 2

Trion 15, North Cobb Christian 0

Walton 9, Roswell 6

Ware County 5, South Effingham 0

White County 4, Cherokee Bluff 3

Windsor Forest 25, Beach 5

Woodland-Cartersville 2, Carrollton 1

Woodland-Stockbridge 3, Eagles Landing 2

Volleyball

Adairsville 2, Haralson County 0

Allatoona 2, Dalton 0

Allatoona 2, River Ridge 0

Alpharetta 2, Dunwoody 0

Arabia Mountain 2, Clarkston 0

Armuchee 2, Model 1

Blessed Trinity 2, Flowery Branch 0

Blessed Trinity 2, Marist 1

Bremen 2, Temple 0

Bremen 3, Greenville 1

Buford 2, Cedar Shoals 0

Buford 2, Norcross 1

Byne Christian 3, Peoples Baptist Academy 0

Calhoun 2, Murray County 0

Calhoun 2, Sonoraville 0

Callaway 2, Central-Talbotton 0

Cambridge 3, Johns Creek 0

Cedartown at LaGrange, late

Centennial 2, Cambridge 1

Central-Talbotton 2, Jordan 0

Chattooga 2, Coahulla Creek 1

Chattooga 3, Gordon Central 0

Clarkston 2, Miller Grove 0

Coosa 2, Pepperell 0

Coosa 2, Rockmart 0

Dade County 2, Morris Innovative 0

Drew 2, Morrow 0

East Jackson 2, Monroe Area 0

East Paulding 2, Paulding County 0

Eastside 2, Henry County 0

Eastside 2, Luella 0

Elite Scholars Academy 3, South Atlanta 0

George Walton Academy 2, Aquinas 0

George Walton Academy 2, Providence Christian 0

Hebron Christian 2, Aquinas 0

Hebron Christian 2, George Walton Academy 0

Hebron Christian 2, Providence Christian 0

Heritage School-Newnan 3, St. George's 0

Heritage-Ringgold 2, Ringgold 0

Holy Innocents' 2, Galloway School 0

Holy Innocents' 2, Mt. Vernon Presbyterian 0

Jackson 2, Mary Persons 0

Jackson County 2, East Jackson 0

Jackson County 2, Monroe Area 0

Jefferson 2, Hart County 0

Jefferson 2, Stephens County 1

Josey 1, Butler 0

Kell 2, Paulding County 0

Kell 2, Villa Rica 0

LaFayette 2, Cass 0

LaFayette 2, Gilmer 0

Lakeside-DeKalb 3, Rockdale County 0

Landmark Christian 2, Our Lady of Mercy 0

Lassiter 3, Cherokee 0

Locust Grove 2, Stockbridge 0

Loganville 2, Oconee County 1

Lumpkin County 2, Union County 0

Mill Creek 2, Collins Hill 0

Morrow 2, M. L. King 0

Norcross 2, Cedar Shoals 0

North Cobb Christian 3, Christian Heritage 0

North Forsyth 3, West Forsyth 0

Northside-Columbus 2, Americus-Sumter 0

Northwest Whitfield 2, Ridgeland 0

Oconee County 2, Johnson-Gainesville 0

Peachtree Ridge 2, Mill Creek 1

Pepperell 2, Rockmart 0

Pope 2, Chattahoochee 0

Pope 2, North Atlanta 0

Ringgold 2, North Murray 0

Sandy Creek 2, Cedartown 0

South Forsyth 3, Milton 0

Southeast Whitfield 2, Pickens 0

St. Pius X 2, Madison County 0

St. Pius X 2, North Oconee 0

Starr's Mill 2, Griffin 0

Starr's Mill 2, Whitewater 0

Tallulah Falls 2, North Hall 0

Temple 2, Greenville 0

Trinity Christian 2, Landmark Christian 0

Union Grove 2, Locust Grove 0

Villa Rica 2, East Paulding 1

Walker 3, Whitefield Academy 0

Walnut Grove 2, Clarke Central 1

Walnut Grove 2, Oglethorpe County 0

West Hall 2, Denmark 0

White County 2, Denmark 0

Woodville-Tompkins 3, McIntosh County Academy 0

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