Not many punters have kicked to Parker junior Na’eem Offord this season.

He showed why on Friday night in the Thundering Herd’s 35-20 victory over Gadsden City in the Class 6A quarterfinals at Major Brown Memorial Stadium in Birmingham.

Offord returned a punt 45 yards for first-half touchdown and added 60-yard return to set up his 5-yard TD run on the next play.

“He is a difference maker, and we made a mistake by t kicking the ball to him,” Gadsden City coach Ali Smith said.

The victory sends Parker to the semifinals for the first time since 1989.

Parker limited Gadsden City to just 86 yards of total offense and forced the game’s only turnover.

Star turn: Offord finished with four touchdowns, scoring on TD runs of 2, 5 and 13 yards out of the wildcat formation.

“There’s no secret about putting the ball in Offord’s hands,” Parker coach Frank Warren said. “He’s a five-star (prospect), so you have to make sure he touches the ball on offense and on special teams so that he can make things happen.”

Stat sheet: Offord ran seven times for 40 yards and returned four punts for 125 yards. … Parker quarterback Cameron Jennings completed 5-of-14 passes for 98 yards. … Parker’s Chancellor Sparks ran 12 times for 124 yards and a touchdown. … Gadsden City’s Gabriel Brito kicked field goals of 26 and 28 yards. … Gadsden City’s Kerrell Yow scored on a 10-yard run, and Cameron Rolley recovered a blocked punt in the end zone for a touchdown in the third quarter.

Coachspeak: “We played a good first half but had too many mistakes in the second half. We have to fix them if we are going to win next week.” – Warren

“Their defense played exceptionally well. We couldn’t move the football.” – Smith

Quotable: “I told my team that we have to step it up every round of the playoffs. So, I just wanted to lead by example tonight. Every time I touch the ball, I want to make something happen and score a TD. I appreciated my teammates. I know I couldn’t do anything without them.” – Offord

What’s next?: Parker (12-1) advances to play at Clay-Chalkville (12-0) in next week’s semifinals. “Clay is one of the best teams in the state in any classification, so we will have to prepare for them and play our best,” Warren said.