Bristol Herald Courier | Tim Hayes | Photo Credit: Submitted Photo
HONAKER, Va. – Dressed as the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow, fifth-grader Reagan Vandyke rode her steed across the turf at Fuller Field on Friday alongside Honaker High School’s football team as they entered the field prior to kickoff.
The unique and Halloween-inspired ride turned out to be the second-most memorable gallop of the night.
Sophomore linebacker Brayden Hart of Honaker raced 78 yards after alertly snatching the pigskin away from a Northwood ballcarrier near the goal line in a play that set up a touchdown for his team near the end of the first half.
It was the defining moment of Honaker’s 48-30 Hogoheegee District victory over the Panthers.
Hampered by a painful hip flexor, freshman quarterback Parker Lowe still threw for 272 yards and five scores.
Ninth-grader Levi Honaker reeled in four of those scoring strikes.
The offensive line was flawless in its protection of Lowe.
Yet, it was Hart who was the game-changer.
Honaker clung to a 21-14 lead late in the second quarter, but Northwood appeared poised to knot the score.
On a 1st-and-Goal play from the Honaker 2-yard line with less than 40 seconds remaining until halftime, Brett Garner of Northwood took the handoff from quarterback Dalton Gates and was met almost immediately by senior defensive lineman Maddox Sykes of the Tigers.
Wrapped up by Sykes, Garner spun and leaned backward while clutching the ball with two hands as he attempted to stretch his way into the end zone.
Kameron Keen of the Tigers hit the Northwood sophomore to keep him upright and that allowed Hart to rip the football from Garner’s grasp.
“He stretched the ball out and handed it right to me,” Hart said. “I’ve got to give it to my teammates; they slowed him up for me and just let me grab it and take off with it.”
Hart got on his horse so to speak and returned the ball all the way to the Northwood 21-yard line.
“That was huge,” Lowe said.
Northwood 7 7 8 8—30
Honaker 7 21 7 13—48
Scoring Summary
N – B. Garner 3 run (Prater kick)
H – Honaker 9 pass from Lowe (E. Ball kick)
H – Schoonover 27 run (E. Ball kick)
H – Hubbard 21 pass from Lowe (E. Ball kick)
N – B. Garner 64 run (Prater kick)
H – Honaker 21 pass from Lowe (E. Ball kick)
H – Honaker 5 pass from Lowe (E. Ball kick)
N – Haynes 29 pass from Gates (Nunley pass from Prater)
H – Honaker 43 pass from (E. Ball kick)
H – Gilbert 13 run (run failed)
N – Waddle 19 run (Nunley pass from Prater)
Team Stats
First Downs: N 15, H 23; Rushes-Yards: N 43-261, H 24-180; Passing Yards: N 90, H 272; Comp.-Att.-Int.: N 7-13-0, H 20-29-2; Fumbles-Lost: N 1-1, H 1-1; Penalties-Yards: N 3-31, H 5-65; Punts-Average: N 2-35, H 1-35.