LAWRENCEVILLE, GEORGIA – Entering the game with over 1,000 rushing yards this season, Parkview running back Khyair Spain continued to show why he is one of the best in the state with the ball in his hands Friday night to Archer.
Spain staged a rushing clinic against the Tigers, scoring all five touchdowns to help Parkview to an impressive 33-7 victory to improve to 6-1 this season and 2-0 in 4-AAAAAAA region play.
On a night when the Tigers defense managed to control Panthers quarterback Colin Houck and company, Parkview head coach Eric Godfree said it was a no-brainer to give the ball to the ‘Spain. The junior scored on runs of 80, 65, 45, 18 and 10, respectively.
Khyair Spain, shown in a game earlier this year, scored five rushing touchdowns on Friday against Archer, with 45, 60 and 80 yards among them.
Photo by Colin Hubbard
“We knew Archer was a good football team,” Godfree said. “They’re playing one of the toughest schedules in the state and they’re in every game. So we knew it would be a physical and difficult game. (Archer) did a good job, trying to get the pass out and put more guys on Mike Matthews, and Spain took advantage of that. The offensive line did a good job there. (Spain) had a great game.
Spain opened the scoring with a 65-yard touchdown early in the first quarter, but the Tigers responded. Senior quarterback Justin Johnson joined Jonathan Stafford for a 26-yard touchdown on possession that followed and led the Panthers 7-6 as a result.
Next is Spain’s 80-yard touchdown in just two plays in Parkview’s possession. The Panthers led the Tigers 12-7 at the time and added to their lead with Spain’s third score of the night.
The Panthers were gifted with a first down after the Tigers were flagged at fourth-and-first and Spain made them pay with a 45-yard touchdown. Their first successful point after the night extended the lead to 19-7 with just under eight minutes remaining in the second quarter.
The last two Spanish touchdowns of the evening came in the second half. An 18-yard touchdown late in the third quarter extended their lead to 26-7 and his final score came with just under five minutes left in the game when he found the end zone 10 yards out.
Godfree gave his offensive line a lot of credit for creating lanes for Spain to rush. Spain has now rushed for over 1,200 yards this season and scored 12 touchdowns in just seven games.
“Our offensive line has been one of our most improved areas from last year to this year, and these guys are doing a great job,” Godfree said. “And again, partly because we have really good receivers as well. So you kind of have to pick your poison. And so sometimes when they pick the poison receiver, you know, our running back made them pay.”
The Panthers’ only loss this season came three weeks ago against nationally ranked Mill Creek. The loss came in out-of-region play, however, keeping the Panthers in the mix for the Region 4 title. The Panthers will need wins over Newton, Brookwood and Grayson to claim their first regional title since 2019.