Khayair Spain scores five touchdowns as Parkview routs Archer
LAWRENCEVILLE, GEORGIA – Entering play with more than 1,000 yards rushing this season, Parkview running back Khyair Spain continued to show why he’s one of the best in the state with the ball in his hands Friday night at Archer.
Spain put on a rushing clinic against the Tigers, scoring all five touchdowns to help lead Parkview to an impressive 33-7 win to improve to 6-1 on the season and 2-0 in Region 4-AAAAAAA play.
On a night where the Tigers defense managed to keep Panthers quarterback Colin Houck and company in check, Parkview head coach Eric Godfree said it was a no-brainer to feed Spain the ball. The junior scored on runs of 80, 65, 45, 18 and 10, respectively.
Khyair Spain, shown from a game earlier this year, scored five rushing touchdowns on Friday against Archer, with scoring runs of 45-, 60- and 80-yards among them.
Photo by Colin Hubbard
“We knew Archer is a good football team,” Godfree said. “They play one of the toughest schedules in the state, and they compete in every single game. So we knew it was going to be a physical, tough game. (Archer) did a good job, trying to take away the pass and put more guys out over Mike Matthews, and Spain took advantage of it. The offensive line did a good job right there. (Spain) had a tremendous game.”
Spain opened the scoring with a 65-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter, but the Tigers responded. Senior quarterback Justin Johnson hooked up with Jonathan Stafford for a 26-yard touchdown on the ensuing possession and led the Panthers 7-6 as a result.
Next came Spain’s 80-yard touchdown run just two plays into Parkview’s ensuing possession. The Panthers led the Tigers 12-7 at that point and added onto its lead with Spain’s third score of the night.
The Panthers were gifted a first down after the Tigers were flagged on fourth-and-1 and Spain made them pay with a 45-yard touchdown. Their first successful point after of the night extended the lead to 19-7 with just under eight minutes remaining in the second quarter.
Spain’s final two touchdowns of the night came in the second half. An 18-yard touchdown run 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 from 10 yards out.
Godfree gave a lot of credit to his offensive line for creating lanes for Spain to rush in. Spain has now rushed for more than 1,200 yards this season and has 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 those guys are doing a great job,” Godfree said. "And again, partly because we've got really good receivers out there as well. So kind of got to pick your poison. And so at times when they pick the poison receiver, you know, our running back made them pay.”
The Panthers’ only loss this season came to nationally ranked Mill Creek three weeks ago. The loss came in non-region play, however, keeping the Panthers in the mix for the Region 4 title. The Panthers will need wins against Newton, Brookwood and Grayson in order to win their first region title since 2019.
