Southern Gap defeated Honaker 46-19 this past Friday night at Smiley Ratliff Field at the Red Robertson Athletic Complex, turning a three-point halftime lead into a commanding win with two touchdowns in the opening minute of the third quarter.
A 43-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Brayden White to senior tight end Kanan Justice gave the Eagles some breathing room. Matthew Thompson followed with a squib kick that Reid Stiltner recovered, and Carson Blankenship scored moments later. Just like that, a 16-13 battle had become a 32-13 Southern Gap lead.
The Eagles improved to 3-2 behind 172 rushing yards and three touchdowns from freshman Blankenship.
“We knew all night it was going to be a tough battle for us,” Southern Gap coach Greg Tester said. “With the type of offense they run, they can score at any time. All the credit goes to my guys up front. They took over the ballgame for us.”
The Eagles built their early lead with two runs that brought the home crowd to its feet. Freshman Gunner Baker broke several tackles on a 54-yard touchdown run with 3:22 left in the first quarter, and Blankenship added the two-point conversion.
Later in the quarter, freshman Mason Rife stopped a Honaker reverse to help force a turnover on downs. Two plays later, Southern Gap took possession; Blankenship reversed the field, broke free and raced 64 yards for a touchdown. White ran in the conversion, making it 16-0 with eight seconds left in the first.
Honaker answered with two second-quarter touchdowns. Quarterback Levi Honaker hit Kameron Keen for a 37-yard gain before finding Malachi Gilbert on a swing pass, and Gilbert carried it 15 yards into the end zone.
The Tigers recovered a Southern Gap fumble on the Eagles’ next offensive play. A roughing-the-passer penalty later extended their drive, and Gilbert scored from 1 yard out. Honaker trailed 16-13 with 4:10 left in the half.
“We battled,” Honaker coach Aaron Lowe said. “We made some adjustments in the first half and got back in the game.”
At halftime, Tester told the Eagles to keep fighting, protect the ball and avoid the penalties that had put their offense behind the chains.
“We get a first down, then a penalty backs us up to second-and-20,” he said. “There’s not a good play for second-and-20 or third-and-20. We’ve just got to stay in front of the sticks.”
Southern Gap answered. Justice caught White’s 43-yard touchdown pass and carried defenders into the end zone. White ran in the two-point conversion for a 24-13 lead with 11:02 left in the third quarter. Tester said Justice had suggested the play after seeing how Honaker was covering him. Honaker was called for a facemask penalty on the touchdown, which allowed Southern Gap to kick from midfield.
The Eagles then took the ball right back. Thompson sent a squib kick toward Honaker, and Stiltner recovered it at the Tigers’ 28-yard line. Blankenship ran for consecutive gains of 6 yards, and a roughing-the-passer penalty helped set up his 8-yard touchdown run. Gunner Baker added the conversion to make it 32-13 with 10:02 left in the third.
“They scored twice in about two and a half or three minutes,” Lowe said. “You go down three scores, and that’s hard to come back from.”
Honaker cut the deficit to 32-19 on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Levi Honaker to Brayden Justus, but the Eagles shut down the comeback. Blankenship scored his third rushing touchdown on a 28-yard run in the fourth quarter, then intercepted a pass on the Tigers’ next possession. Aidan Baker capped the scoring with a 12-yard run with 2:55 remaining.
Blankenship averaged 10.7 yards on 16 carries. Gunner Baker rushed five times for 70 yards and a touchdown, while Aidan Baker gained 39 yards and scored on six carries. White completed 2 of 7 passes for 74 yards and a touchdown, rushed for 24 yards and scored three two-point conversions. Justice had one catch for 43 yards, and Ayden Whited caught a 31-yard pass.
Southern Gap’s defense held Honaker to 54 rushing yards and 95 passing yards. Gunner Baker led the Eagles with nine tackles, including five solo stops and a tackle for loss. Stiltner had seven tackles and a sack, while senior lineman Chase Baker had five tackles and helped clear the way for Southern Gap’s runners.
“We were slow in the first half, but we came out after a good talk,” Chase Baker said. “I think we opened some holes and scored some touchdowns.”
Blankenship quickly credited the line for his big night.
“I wouldn’t rather run behind anybody else,” he said. “They’re some real dogs. They work their tails off every day, and it’s really paid off. It’s showing.”
Honaker fell to 1-4. The Tigers have lost four straight since their season-opening win over Lebanon, when they lost their star quarterback, sophomore Parker Lowe, to injury.
Before the game, Buchanan County’s Little League football players and cheerleaders were recognized on the field. On a cool night at Southern Gap, they got their turn in front of the large crowd before settling in to watch the Eagles earn their third win of the season.
This Friday, the Richlands Blue Tornado will travel down to Shortt Gap to take on the Eagles, while Honaker heads to Chilhowie.
Scoring Summary
First quarter
SG – G. Baker 54-yard run (Blankenship run good) 8-0
SG – C. Blankenship 64-yard run (White run good) 16-0
Second quarter
H- L. Honaker 15-yard pass to Gilbert (Kick no good) 16-6
H – Gilbert one-yard run (Kick good) 16-13
Third quarter
SG – White 43-yard pass to K. Justice (White run good) 24-13
SG- Blankenship eight-yard run (G. Baker run good) 32-13
H- L. Honaker eight-yard pass to Justus (Run no good) 32-19
Fourth quarter
SG – C. Blankenship 28-yard run (White run good) 40-19
SG – A. Baker 12-yard run (Run no good) 46-19
