CLINCHPORT — Friday was perfect for football with a huge crowd, a playoff atmosphere, beautiful weather, and two strong teams.
Fans were treated to an offensive explosion as Honaker held on for a 40-32 triumph at Rye Cove in a huge Region 1D contest.
“It’s amazing we could come down here against a really good team and show everyone that we could play through adversity,” said Honaker wide receiver/safety Parker Bandy, who had seven catches for 79 yards and three TDs.
With Honaker clinging to a 34-32 lead, Bandy grabbed a pass on the right flat from Peyton Musick and then sprinted 43 yards into the end zone to give the Tigers an eight-point lead with 1:56 left to play.
“Malachi Lowe set me up with a great block,” Bandy said. “I just hit it down the sideline and went. We needed it, and I’m glad I was able to come up with a big play.”
The War Eagles took the subsequent kickoff. On their first play from scrimmage, quarterback Landon Lane passed to Payton Darnell, who took the ball to the Honaker 16, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
A Lane pass then fell incomplete. Lane then ran up the middle for a seven-yard gain to the Honaker nine. Lane had another rushing attempt but was stopped for a one-yard loss. On a 4th-and-4, Lane threw into the end zone, but it hit the turf incomplete to seal the Tiger’s win.
“That series was all or nothing, we couldn’t take a playoff, or we were done,” Honaker linebacker Malachi Lowe said. “It was such a relief when that last pass was incomplete to get this win.
“Coming into the second half, we knew it was going to be a battle. We came in thinking we would roll a little smoother than we did. We were able to fight through a lot of adversity.”
Honaker had to overcome two lost fumbles, one in the Rye Cove end zone. It was a slugfest up front between the two powerful teams. Both had manhandled the opposition in winning their first two games.
“They were big and physical, but our line handled them well,” said Malachi Lowe. “It came down to effort, it was just effort, we had to out grit them.”
Both teams were held scoreless in their first two series, then the offenses took over. Bandy grabbed a two-yard TD pass from Peyton Musick with two minutes remaining in the first quarter. Aidan Lowe ran in the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead, and the Tigers never trailed but had problems pulling away.
Honaker rode the arm of Peyton Musick the whole game. He was 19-of-27 passing with no interceptions for 305 yards and six touchdowns, both Honaker High School records. Musick broke the single-game record of 274 passing yards held by the legendary Heath Miller since 1999. Miller also had the record of five TD passes in a game, which Musick also eclipsed.
“We’re confident in Peyton’s skill and ability,” Honaker coach Todd Tiller said. “He makes the right decisions. It just seemed like we were trading score for score. The offense came through with some big plays, and the defense held at the end. I couldn’t be prouder of my guys.”