Published: November 01, 2008 12:50 am      

Tazewell looking to finish season strong

HONAKER, Va. — Tazewell and Honaker skipped Halloween and now the Bulldogs are hoping for a treat when they travel to play the Tigers Saturday at 1 p.m.

This non-district matchup features Tazewell (7-1) against Honaker (4-5) with much at stake for both teams.

Bobby Wyatt’s Bulldogs hope to maintain the top spot in the Region IV Division 3 rankings with only two games remaining in the regular season. Honaker (4-5) still has a shot at the playoffs and toppling Tazewell would be close to a guarantee that Doug Hubbard’s team would qualify.

“It is a huge game,” says Wyatt. “We need to win to stay on top in the region and Honaker is in one of those ‘desperation situations’ where they cannot afford to lose if they are going to make the playoffs. This one should be a dandy.”

Tazewell was able to cruise past Grundy 42-6 last week while Honaker rolled to an easy 41-14 Black Diamond District win over Hurley. Matt Muncy had an outstanding game with a 31-yard score on a pass from Cody Lockhart, a 56-yard run from scrimmage, and a 77-yard kickoff return for another score. He totaled more than 200 yards of total offense despite only touching the ball eight times.

It will take another big day, however, by the Bulldog defense to contain the Tigers.

“Honaker has a big offensive line and their quarterback, Justin Hall, is one of the best players in their district,” says Wyatt. “As a runner and passer, he does an outstanding job. Hall leads the BDD in touchdown passes, I believe.”

The Tigers may run their Power-I attack and mix that with the spread offense while Tazewell is likely to stay in their spread attack.

Defensively, the Bulldogs will try to bring pressure up front against Hall but are also preparing to face a strong running attack. The Tazewell linebackers will have to be on their toes against a Honaker team which likes to wear down enemy defenses with their power across the line.

Kickoff is at 1 p.m. with coverage on 107.7 FM.