By WILL HART/CORRESPONDENT
lenniehart2006@yahoo.com

SOUTH HILL—Southampton High School traded touchdowns with host Parkview throughout Friday night’s game, but it was the Indians who scored last in a 30-26 Southside District victory.

Southampton, in its first season under head coach Wes Griffith, improved to 4-4 overall and 3-2 in district play. Parkview fell to 2-5 and 1-3.

“We had a bunch of individuals who were selling out for the team,” Griffith said. “We played well as a team.”

The Indians, trailing 26-22 in the fourth quarter, took the lead for good with a 50-yard, four-minute scoring drive, capped by a 14-yard touchdown pass from Billy Nixon to Koran Evans with 6:09 left. Saiquan Mason ran for the two-point conversion.

Parkview drove to the SHS 41 in the game’s waning minutes, but the Indian defense stiffened.

“The catch in the end zone by Koran and the lay-out for the two-point conversion by Mason were two of our outstanding plays tonight,” Griffith said.

The home team outgained Southampton 266-239 in total yardage, but Mason was the individual star, gaining 117 rushing yards on 18 carries. Nixon completed 9 of 15 passes for 74 yards, and Tonee Hill had three catches for 36 yards.

Neither team committed a turnover.

Parkview scored first on Jason Baskerville’s touchdown run with 4:08 left in the first quarter to make it 6-0.

SHS responded with a 15-yard TD run by Mason, who also scored the two-point conversion to put his team up 8-6 with 2:30 left in the opening frame.

Another Baskerville touchdown put Parkview back up 12-8, but Southampton held the halftime lead at 16-12 after a 17-yard toss from Nixon to Hill with just 2 seconds remaining and another two-point conversion run by Mason.

Parkview reclaimed the lead at 19-16 on a 22-yard run by Daveon Harris with 6:04 left in the third quarter.

SHS responded with a 10-yard touchdown run by Hill on a reverse with 11:52 left in the game. The two-point conversion failed, and the visitors led 22-19.

Parkview got a third Baskerville touchdown with 10:01 left to take its final lead at 26-22.

SHS hosts Nottoway for homecoming on Friday.