Shawnee's Jake Parola leads South Jersey with 11 touichdowns

Like the rest of his teammates, Shawnee senior Jake Parola tries to leave the past behind - moving on to the next play, next game, next challenge.

But Parola concedes that his performance in last season's South Jersey Group 4 title game has helped his confidence this season.

"That Timber Creek game was one of my better games," said Parola, who scored two touchdowns in Shawnee's 31-22 upset victory Dec. 7 at Rowan University. "I was hoping that would carry over."

Parola has picked up where he left off as a junior - and then some. He leads South Jersey with 11 touchdowns as Shawnee, the No. 2 team in The Inquirer Top 25, has broken to a 3-0 record.

"We're all on the same page," Parola said. "Everybody is doing their job. That makes it easy to go all out."

Parola scored three touchdowns in Shawnee's 37-0 victory over Washington Township on Friday night. He also registered a pair of interceptions.

Parola has scored touchdowns in three ways: seven as a runner, two as a pass receiver, and two on interception returns.

He has carried the football 47 times for 383 yards, caught three passes for 86 yards, and returned four interceptions for 256 yards.

"I've never scored this much," the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Parola said. "I'm kind of surprised. It's not just me. It's my teammates. They are making my job easier."

Parola said the Renegades, who loom as the favorites in the WJFL American Division as well as the South Jersey Group 4 tournament, are trying not to get caught up in their early success.

"When we win a game, we try to forget about it," Parola said. "We want to move on and get ready for the next one."