EMORY — Through their first seven games, the Tigers were known for their “Air Raid” offense, averaging over 51 points per game. It turns out they’re not too bad on the ground, either. Honaker was held to their lowest output of the season but rallied to hand the Rebels a 26-18 Hogoheegee District setback on a wet, windy, and cold Friday night, or you might say perfect football weather.
The Tigers ran the ball eight times in the first half for 13 yards. Trailing 18-14, they switched to ‘smash mouth’ football, using the running game often in the second half.
“We came out and ran the ball, the offensive line did a great job up front,” Honaker coach Todd Tiller said. “They opened up the holes, the running game did the job tonight. We can run the ball, too, the weather conditions changed the game plan a little bit. We knew coming in that’s probably what it would be.”
Honaker took the second-half kickoff, taking seven plays to capture the lead. On a 3rd-and-1, Aidan Lowe found an opening for a 19-yard gain to the Rebel 26. Jaxon Dye picked up another first down with a 10-yard rush. Peyton Musick then went to the air, tossing a 16-yard pass into the end zone with Parker Bandy leaping high for a TD catch. The pass for two failed, and the Tigers settled for a 20-18 advantage.
“We practiced that all week,” Peyton Musick said. “We really needed to show everyone we can ground and pound.”
The Honaker defense withstood a tremendous night from 5-foot-7, 170-pound senior speedster Camron Goodspeed, who also showed some power. Using almost exclusively the running of Goodspeed, the Rebels moved inside the Honaker 40. After a five-yard penalty, PH faced a 4th-and-7. Quarterback Ryan Brown attempted his only pass for the night, and it was incomplete, turning the ball back over to the Tigers on downs.
Lowe picked up 13 yards rushing on their first play to get the ball into PH territory. Four plays later, Lowe scampered around the right end, picked up a great block by Bandy, and scored on a 37-yard TD run to go up 26-18 with 3:37 left in the third frame.
“That was a great block by Parker, and my tackle, Tyler Cole, made a great block, too,” Lowe said. “It set me up to get into the end zone. I couldn’t do anything without my teammates.
Goodspeed and the Rebels were tenacious. They took the ensuing kickoff and moved inside the Honaker 20. The Tiger defense was up to the challenge. They stopped Goodspeed a yard short on a 4th-and-3 at the Honaker 17.
After getting the ball back, it was three plays and a punt for Honaker, with Patrick Henry taking over on the 50. Goodspeed ran the ball five straight times. After a 15-yard gain, Goodspeed ran inside the Honaker 10, but middle linebacker Isaac Johnson knocked the ball free, and Honaker’s Nick Ball recovered it to end the threat.
“It was just a good hit overall,” Johnson said. “It wouldn’t have been possible without our line slanting up front and taking on the double teams. After that, I thought we might survive.
“We knew when we got in the locker room at halftime the defense needed to step up, fix the mistakes, and do better as a whole.”
The Rebels would never get the ball back after the fumble. Honaker kept the ball over seven minutes with a game-ending drive. Musick connected with Bandy for a 26-yard gain. On a crucial 4th-and-9, on their own 37, the Tigers went for it. Musick threw to Lowe for a 13-yard gain for a first down. Lowe picked up two more first downs rushing as they ran out the clock.