Inexperience not slowing down Tigers
Honaker (47) vs. Eastside (13)
Written: Sep 11, 2015
ANTHONY STEVENS
for the Daily Telegraph
COEBURN, Va. — After graduating 20 seniors from a team that advanced to the state semifinals, an inexperienced Tiger team has suffered through some growing pains. But they remain perfect. Honaker has won their first three games out of the gate after defeating Eastside 47-13 at Carroll McConnell Stadium.
The Tigers do feature a key returning starter. Senior halfback Avin Parrott has made his presence felt in a big way. Parrott had three scores for the Tigers and finished with 136 yards on the ground on only nine attempts, averaging over 15 yards a carry.
“These guys are catching on fast,” said Parrott. “They are doing exceptionally well in the games. I’m very proud of every player on this team. I’ve been getting a lot of good blocks, these guys work hard for me.”
Honaker amassed 356 yards on the ground against Eastside with four new starters on the offensive line this season.
“From our first scrimmage until now the offensive line has made tremendous improvement,” Parrott said. “They are aggressive and more physical. I’ve been very impressed with how they are playing.”
Parrott also has a lot of help in the backfield. Tailback Bryson Bostic finished with 106 yards on the ground, gaining over eight yards each time he touched the football. Bostic scored Honaker’s first touchdown on a 14-yard scamper.
“Parrott is very strong, very quick and he runs hard,” said Honaker coach Doug Hubbard. “He’s just a good athlete.
“Parrott and Bostic block for each other real well. They are big buddies and they work extremely well together. That’s a big part of it.”
Bostic and Parrott scored to give the Tigers a 13-0 lead. Eastside (0-3) came back with their most impressive drive of the night. The Spartans went 75 yards in 10 plays. Sophomore Mason Bellamy reached the end zone on a 3-yard run to pull Eastside within a score.
The Tigers answered by running a reverse to Parrott who raced 31- yards into the end zone. Honaker held a 20-7 lead at halftime.
The Tigers took the second half kickoff and Parrott returned it 22 yards. Then on their second play from scrimmage, Parrott broke free up the middle on a 52-TD jaunt and Honaker never looked back.
The Tigers will play their first Crooked Road contest of the season on Friday when they travel to Holston. The game will kickoff at seven o’clock.
Honaker..........................7 13 10 17 — 47
Eastside............................0 7 6 0 — 13
Scoring Summary
HON—Bostic 14 run (Stout kick)
HON—Parrott 1 run (kick failed)
EAST—Bellamy 3 run (Monk kick)
HON—Parrott 31 run (Stout kick)
HON—Parrott 52 run (Stout kick)
HON—FG Stout 29
EAST—Vaughn 42 interception return (kick failed)
HON—FG Stout 26
HON—Hart 7 run (Stout kick)
HON—Howard 24 run (Stout kick)
Team Stats
First Downs: HON 12, EAST 11; Rushes-Yards: HON 34-356, EAST 45-189; Passing Yards: HON 117, EAST 0; Comp-Att-Int: HON 8-16-1, EAST 0-8-1; Fumbles-Lost: HON 2-1, EAST 2-2; Penalties-Yards: HON 5-58, EAST 8-67; Punts-Average: HON 0-0, EAST 3-27.
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