HONAKER (Oct. 23, 2026) – The Tigers’ turnaround lasted one week. All-State quarterback Parker Lowe was injured early in the second quarter, after playing just one game since being injured in the season opener.
Patrick Henry star Jeb Stewart, known for his rushing prowess, used his arm to help defeat Honaker 21-14 on Friday at Fuller Field.
On 2nd-and-24 at their own one-yard line, Stewart lined up in the left slot. Stewart went in motion, took the handoff from quarterback Kolby Hicks in the end zone, and sprinted to the right as the Honaker defense converged on him. He threw to a wide-open Kallum Gobble, who raced 99 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
“We caught them,” Stewart said. “We knew he was going to bite, and I threw it over the top. We tried the play earlier in the season, but it just hadn’t worked. We told him the defender was going to bite, and he did, so we threw it.”
It was a brilliant play called by the Rebels. No defense wouldn’t be focused on Stewart.
“I think that’s a play we can talk about for a long time,” Patrick Henry coach Austin Cooper said. “In that situation, backed up on our own one-yard line and down one, it was time to try something crazy. Go big or go home. We practice it every now and then, and with Jeb being the athlete he is, when people see him get the ball, they’re going to come up on him. We knew it would work at the right time, and it did tonight.”
Stewart was injured early in Patrick Henry’s 28-14 loss to Holston. He appeared to be at full speed against the Tigers.
“Well, they’d been running Jeb all night, and we were gearing up to stop it,” Honaker coach Aaron Lowe said. “We bit on the run, and he was wide open. Jeb is an exceptional kid and a really good athlete. He does a lot for that football team. It was a great call by Austin (Cooper). You’ve got to give those guys credit.”
The Rebels fell behind Honaker by two touchdowns early.
After a short punt by Patrick Henry, Honaker took over on the 50. On their third play, Lowe connected with Levi Honaker on a 24-yard scoring strike.
After the Rebels turned the ball over on downs, the Tigers struck again. Lowe found Kameron Keen in the flat on a 28-yard TD pass, making it 14-0 with 1:39 remaining in the first quarter.
PH took the ensuing kickoff and cut the deficit to 14-7 just before the end of the first frame. Stewart answered with a 51-yard scoring run, getting loose around the left end.
In the next series, Parker Lowe had to leave the contest; his right shoulder appeared to be injured again. He returned and handed the ball off three times but never attempted another pass, before leaving the game and not returning.
“We don’t have any luck, that’s for sure,” Lowe said. “The football gods definitely aren’t on our side.
“We don’t know the extent of Parker’s injury yet. We took precautions to see where we’re at. We’ll evaluate him Monday and see, but he feels good. I don’t know for sure, though, and he can’t throw.”
Lowe was 8-of-14 passing for 150 yards and two TDs in a little over a quarter of play.
“I hate it. He’s a great kid and a great quarterback, too,” Cooper said. “I hate to see any kid get hurt, especially him. He can do some great things with the ball. Obviously, we were able to play a different type of defense than we would have if Parker had been in the game. But I hate it for him, and I hope he recovers quickly.”
The defense, led by Kam Robinson, Keaton Smith, Cole Morrison, and Colt Hubbard, kept Honaker (2-6, 0-3 HOGO) in the game and preserved the seven-point lead at the break.
“Our kids just keep battling and battling,” Lowe said. “We just can’t get past these injuries. We lost our starting guard on the first series, and obviously Parker went out, and that was kind of the dagger. But our kids kept fighting, and we had every opportunity to win the game.”
Patrick Henry (6-2, 2-1 HOGO) took the second-half kickoff and drove 66 yards in six plays. Stewart scored on a one-yard plunge. However, the extra point was wide, and the Tigers clung to a 14-13 lead.
Honaker kept it standing until just over four minutes remained, when Stewart’s halfback option pass gave the Rebels the lead.
The Tigers still had a chance, but Stewart’s interception ended any hope of a rally. The Rebels ran out the clock.
“The defense played amazing all night,” Lowe said. “As I said, Austin made a good call on the halfback pass. We had them pinned deep, and if we had stopped them there, we probably would have won the game. But congratulations to those guys. They’ve got a good football team, and we came up short.”
Stewart totaled 188 rushing yards with two TDs, caught five passes for 72 yards, completed one pass for 99 yards, and also had four tackles on defense, including an interception.
“It’s unbelievable,” Cooper said. “Tonight, probably put him at 2,600 all-purpose yards, or maybe more than that. He’s definitely over 2,000 rushing yards already. He’s just an unbelievable athlete.”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t the kind of game most people expected.
“No. Coming into it, I expected a high-scoring shootout, to be honest,” Cooper said. “Both defenses battled really well. Hats off to Honaker. I thought they played a heck of a football game. They’re much better than their 2-6 record shows, that’s for sure.”
Patrick Henry 21, Honaker 14
P. Henry7068—21
Honaker14000—14
First Quarter
HON—Honaker 24 pass from Lowe (Beavers kick), 5:30.
HON—Keen 28 pass from Lowe (Beavers kick), 1:39.
PH—Stewart 52 run (Ratliff kick), 0:36.
Third Quarter
PH—Stewart 1 run (kick failed), 9:59.
Fourth Quarter
PH—Gobble 99 pass from Stewart (Stewart pass from Hicks), 4:16.
PHHON
First downs1915
Total Net Yards402320
Rushes-yards40-22526-96
Passing 177224
Comp-Att-Int8-17-016-26-1
Fumbles-Lost1-01-0
Penalties-Yards8-813-20
Punts5-27.64-41
