Football playoffs: Parker brothers help lead Battlefield past South County, 41-36 It wasn't until the final minute of Friday's playoff game against South County, with his team backed up to its own 13-yard line and in need of a fourth-down stop, that Battlefield defensive back Collin Parker finally felt things slow down. Up to that point, South County's hurry-up option offense had dictated the pace against the Bobcats defense, racing up the field to whittle a 26-point deficit down to five. But as a South County pass play unfolded and the ball floated toward Parker, what seemed like an eternity for the Battlefield faithful was also plenty of time for the junior to bat down the pass and seal the No. 14 Bobcats" 41-36 win in Haymarket. With the victory, Battlefield (11-1) advanced to face No. 8 Centreville, a 62-28 winner against Patriot, in next week's Virginia 6A North region semifinals. "In moments like that, everything just goes into slow motion, it seems, and it was all or nothing," Parker said. "I just kept telling myself, "I've got make a play. I've got to make a play."" Perhaps Parker had taken a cue from his older brother, Corey. Corey, who also plays defensive back, had challenged himself to pick up the extra load when Zac Kerxton went down with cramps after scoring four of Battlefield's first five touchdowns. Building off the momentum created in the last two weeks after the Bobcats coaches increased his rushing role in the offense, Corey Parker rushed for 144 yards and what proved to be the decisive touchdown in the third quarter. "Zac's one of our playmakers, so when he went down, I knew I might get a few extra carries," Parker said. I just made sure I was ready to come up big for my team in a big game like this. The inevitable shootout pace in a game featuring two of the area's most prolific offenses surfaced from the start, as South County's Rob Avery took the first play from scrimmage 68 yards for a touchdown. But the Stallions" offense sputtered for the rest of the half, twice losing the ball on fumbles. Battlefield took advantage of the subsequent short field, as Matt Gallagher found Kerxton for touchdown passes on four of their first six possessions to build a 34-15 halftime lead. But after Parker manuevered through South County's defense for a seven-yard touchdown run to start the half, Battlefield struggled to make plays on both sides of the ball. Soon, Avery and fellow running back Gerald Hulett (276 combined yards) gained steam, opening the field for the Stallions (10-2) to score on their first three possessions of the half - the last of which was a 41-yard run by Hulett to cut the deficit to five. On the sideline, Bobcats Coach Mark Cox challenged his defensive line to push through the trenches and disrupt South County's offensive rhythm. The extra effort resulted in a critical third-down sack, setting up Corey Parker's pass deflection on what was the Bobcats" second fourth-down stop in the red zone in the game's final three minutes. "Coach Cox told us it was now or never, and we took that to heart," Corey Parker said. We weren't ready for our season to end.