Paris Defense Yet to Surrender a Score

Lavaca 2 - 34 Paris

Andrew Wells Former Paris Eagle and Arkansas Tech Student

From the opening kickoff, Paris controlled the game, rolling to a commanding win over Lavaca last Friday night, improving to 2-0 on the season. The Eagles set the tone early with three first-quarter touchdowns: a 6-yard run by running back Dimitri Capo, a 17-yard pass from quarterback Josh Honea to Jayden Carter, and another rushing touchdown from Landon Robberson. The Golden Arrows got their lone score from a bad snap in the endzone that resulted in a safety. Paris extended their lead in the third quarter with two more touchdown scores, One from Ty Farmer and the other from Capo, his second of the night. 

The Paris offensive numbers were impressive across the board. The offense totalled 407 yards and were able to get three rushers to 50 yards or more. Capo led the team with 91 yards and 2 touchdowns on 12 carries. Quarterback Josh Honea ran for 60 yards while completing 16 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown. Robberson chipped in 50 yards and a touchdown off of 10 carries. Carter once again led the team in receiving yards with 69 and a touchdown, while Farmer added 55 yards on five receptions. Alex Wells contributed with 4 receptions for 35 yards. 

Defensively, Paris delivered another strong performance. Harley Barnhill led the team with 10 tackles, while Joel Johnson and Dalton Farnam both added six apiece. On the defensive line, Whitman Patton and Dawson Bradford both stood out, Bradford recorded 3 sacks to bring his total to four in just two games. Linebacker John Salgado also made his presence known with 3 tackles, a sack, and an interception deep down the field. The defense only allowed a total of 24 yards on the ground from 28 attempts. The Golden Arrows completed only 37% of their passes, for comparison Paris completed 82%. In total, the Lavaca offense managed just 143 yards of total offense due to another impressive defensive outing by the Eagles. 

Next up, Paris will travel to Booneville on Friday, September 12th. The Bearcats enter the matchup having started their season at 0-2 after falling to Poteau Oklahoma and dropping a close game at Ozark. This will be Booneville’s home opener as the Bearcats look to secure their first win of the season before starting conference play. For Paris, this is an opportunity to snap a five-game losing streak in the series and earn their first victory over the Bearcats since 2015. With just 23 miles separating the two schools, a strong turnout from both fan bases is expected. This game is also Paris’ final non-conference game before a bye week and the start of conference play.