ROANOKE — Minutes after Handley finished its 48-7 beatdown of visiting Beauregard, Tigers players jumped up and down at midfield holding up all 10 fingers.
The convincing, overpowering victory of the 5A Hornets meant history for Handley. For the first time since 1940, the Tigers finished a 10-0 regular season. The win also left Handley’s senior class tied for the winningest in program history.
“Ten-and-oh, it means the world,” linebacker Taylon Hunter said. “Now we go down with a record and it’s just a great way for us to go out in our senior year.”
Handley dominated from the opening whistle — forcing a three-and-out on defense and going 55 yards on two plays to score the game’s first touchdown. The Tigers eventually extended their lead to 20-0 before a muffed punt set Beauregard up on a short field for its lone score.
The botched fair-catch attempt marked one of the few miscues in a nearly flawless game for the Tigers. They largely shut down the Hornets' offense while racking up 437 rushing yards.
Handley coach Mike Battles credited his offensive line’s strong play for the offensive production.
“They’re a pretty good group. They’re smart and they’ve worked hard,” Battles said. “They don’t get enough credit, but they’ve worked hard every day. When the backs block well and the line blocks well, we’re in good shape.
“They presented an 8-man front with people stunting every which way and they did a good job picking it up. I was proud of them.”
The Tigers exploited a soft spot they found in the Beauregard defense, lining up in the Wishbone and running misdirection away from Ladarious Phillips.
That left tailback Shaquille Trammel to set the tone. He rushed 13 times for 136 yards and a pair of scores that covered 52 and 32 yards, respectively.
“All I’ve got to say is ‘offensive line,’” Trammel said. “Run hard, block hard. That’s what we do. We saw that the Wishbone was working very well, so we just kept at it.”
Quarterback Darius Finley wasn’t called upon often to keep the defense honest. When he was, though, he found ways to burn the defense.
He completed 3-of-4 passes for 83 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Finley also scored on a 12-yard touchdown run.
By the time Finley’s second touchdown pass restored Handley’s 20-point cushion, there was little doubt Handley would cap off its perfect season.
Trae Kyles and Trae Dunson added fourth-quarter touchdowns to provide the final margin.
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