Eagles Dominate in Conference Opener

Andrew Wells Paris Alumni and Arkansas Tech Student

The Paris Eagles opened conference play in dominant fashion last Friday night, defeating the Danville Little Johns 35-8. All 35 of Paris’ points came in the first half, moving them to a 3-1 overall record and a 1-0 start in conference. 

The Eagles’ offense came out flying with three touchdowns in the first quarter. Quarterback Josh Honea connected with Brock Barnhill for the first two scores, with Brock’s brother, Harley, converting both extra points. Minutes later, Dimitri Capo broke off for a 68-yard rushing touchdown to make it 21-0. 

Paris continued to score in the second quarter as Honea threw two more touchdown passes - one to Ty Farmer and another to Jayden Carter. Honea finished the night with 15 completions for 222 yards and four touchdowns. 

Danville was able to find the scoreboard in the third quarter with a safety and added one more score later on in the fourth quarter. 

Capo led the ground game with over 70 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Carter topped the receiving corps with 106 yards and a score on eight catches. Defensively, the Eagles were just as strong, allowing only one true touchdown. Dalton Farnam led the team with seven tackles, followed closely by fellow sophomore Athan Wells. Whitman Patton made his presence felt with five tackles, two quarterback hurries, and a sack. In the secondary, seniors Alex Wells and Jayden Carter each snagged key interceptions. At the end of the night, Paris had totaled 336 yards of offense with zero turnovers, while holding Danville to 222 total yards and forcing two takeaways. 

This Friday, October 3rd, Paris welcomes the Cutter-Morning Star Eagles for their homecoming matchup. Cutter-Morning Star enters with a record identical to Paris - both teams sit at 3-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play. Last week, Cutter-Morning Star earned its first conference win with a 30-22 victory over Perryville. In non-conference play, they edged out a Class 2A Poyen in a high-scoring 41-38 shootout and shut out Class 2A Mountain Pine 3-0. Their only loss of the season came against Class 4A Fountain Lake. 

Not only will this be a pivotal game in the conference standings, it also falls on homecoming night. With both teams sitting at 3-1, fans should expect a competitive matchup.