Eagles Soar into Playoffs with Win over Gators

Andrew Wells

Paris Alumni and

Arkansas Tech Student

The Paris Eagles closed the regular season with a 7-3 overall record and a 5-2 mark in conference play after a dominant 56-20 road win over Two Rivers last Friday. The offense was able to set the tone early, with a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Josh Honea to put the Eagles up 14-0 early. The Gators managed to answer three times, but the Eagles continued to score, pulling away in the end and getting the victory. 

Honea finished with an efficient night, completing 11 of 13 passes for 177 yards and four touchdowns. Jayden Carter caught two of those scores and led the team with 55 receiving yards. Right behind him was Ty Farmer, who posted 48 yards and a touchdown, while Harley Barnhill added another receiving score. The Eagles’ ground game was equally explosive, averaging more than 10 yards per carry. Dimitri Capo led the rushing attack with 70 yards, and Honea, Landon Robberson, and Athan Wells all found the end zone on the ground. In total, Paris totaled 346 yards and eight touchdowns. 

Defensively, linebacker Dalton Farnam paced the corps with 11 tackles. Carter also turned in a standout two-way performance, collecting eight tackles, an interception, and a 65-yard punt return touchdown. Robberson and Whitman Patton each tallied six tackles and combined for five sacks as the Eagles consistently pressured the Gators’ quarterback. 

Despite the strong finish, results elsewhere in the 3A-4 did not break in Paris’ favor, meaning the Eagles will go on the road for the opening round of the playoffs. They will travel to take on Drew Central, which finished 5-5 and claimed the number two seed out of the 3A-8, a league where six teams ended the season at 5-5 in a tight race. This will be the Pirates’ first playoff appearance since a 56-14 loss at Booneville two years ago; they improved after consecutive 2-8 seasons. Paris will look to capitalize on the opportunity and advance past a team from a conference that largely cannibalized itself in 2025.