Honaker High School
| Honaker High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
|
P.O. Box 764 | |
| Information | |
| School type | Public high school |
| School district | Russell County School Division |
| Superintendent | Dr. Gregory Brown |
| Principal | Mr. Tony Bush |
| Grades | 8–12 |
| Enrollment | 475 (2016) |
| Language | English |
| Color(s) | Orange, Black, White |
| Mascot | Tigers |
| Rivals | Richlands High School, Lebanon High School, Haysi High School |
| Athletic Conference |
Black Diamond District Region D |
| Website | Official Site |
Honaker High School is a public high school located in Honaker, Virginia in Russell County, Virginia. Athletic teams compete in the Virginia High School League's A Black Diamond District in Region D.
Extracurricular activities
As a member school of the Virginia High School League, all of Honaker High's extracurricular athletic and academic activities generally fall under the Region D's Black Diamond District in the smallest public school size, "A" or "1A," depending on the activity. In VHSL's history, Honaker High has produced three members of the league's Hall of Fame: Heath Miller, longtime baseball coach Tom Harding, and Ben Valley, 1951–55, who also played basketball for cross-county rival Lebanon High School during his career. Valley was inducted in the VHSL Hall of Fame's 1992 class. Both Miller and Harding were part of the 2016 VHSL Hall of Fame class.
Academic Team/Quizbowl
Since the creation of VHSL's Scholastic Bowl program, Honaker High's academic/quiz bowl team, has been a dominating force in Virginia's far southwestern counties, and overall the school's most successful academic or athletic program. Honaker won the Black Diamond District regular season and/or district tournament a record sixteen consecutive times from 1998 to 2013. That streak also included over ten Region D Championships. Upon the VHSL's switch to a new system of school divisions in 2013-14, the Tigers also took home the first Crooked Road Conference Championship and the 1A West Regional Championship. The team has also been a frequent contender at the VHSL Scholastic Bowl state tournament, finishing runner-up 2010, 2012, and 2013.
In February 2014, Honaker's quiz bowl team brought home the 1A State Championship, handily besting the other championship schools of Rappahannock County, Radford, and Mathews. The Tigers' total point total for the day, 815, was far above their competitors, who had 350, 500, and 605 points, respectively. The small roster of four players consisted of Ashleigh Dye '14, Mason Boyd '15, Lindsey Dye '14, and team captain Jacob Mitchell '14, who was given all-star honors for his performance at the state tournament while also laying claim to the team's career and single season scoring records.
For the 2015-2016 season, after winning both the Conference 47 Tournament championship and the Region 1A West Championship, the Academic Team advanced to the State Tournament. With victories over Riverheads High School, Galax High School, and Galileo Magnet High School, the team won their second 1A State Championship in three years.
Baseball
The Honaker Tigers hosted the Virginia State quarterfinals baseball game for 2008. With a win over J.J. Kelly High School in the Region D Championship, the Tigers brought Coach Tom Harding his first Region D title in his 38 year/466 win coaching career.
In 2011, Honaker won the Single-A Division II State Championship over J.J. Kelly High School by a score of 16-9.
Basketball
In 1924, Honaker won the state championship for boys basketball, defeating Dayton High 30-14. The championship, which came in the short-lived "C" division of the VHSL, is also the earliest recorded state title in VHSL boys basketball history.[1]
Football
Tigers football has been a focal point of the school's athletic programs throughout the school's history. They recorded state runner-up finishes in 2000 (a loss to King William High School 25-15) and 2012 (against George Wythe High School, 17-10). The 2000 finish came on the back of Senior QB Heath Miller, who broke numerous school records as a passer but was also a formidable defensive back. Miller would later win the 2004 John Mackey Award as the best TE in the nation while playing for the Virginia Cavaliers, followed by being drafted 30th overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers and immediately promoted to their starting position. He has since been a major contributor on two Super Bowl championship teams and three AFC championship teams while winning the Steelers MVP twice (2010, 2012) and being elected to the Pro Bowl twice (2009 & 2012). In March 2014, Heath Miller signed a contract extension with the team, extending his contract period through 2016 and increasing the likelihood of finishing his career in The Steel City.
Forensics
In 1953, Honaker won the state championship for Girls Public Speaking.
Softball
Honaker has won the VHSL state championship for softball twice. The first, in the former "A" division, came in 1988 with a 7-2 win over Northumberland High School. Two years earlier, the Tiger fastpitch finished runner-up in the championship game to William Monroe High School, 17-2. In 2013, the Tigers took the title to Russell County once again by securing a 3-1 victory in the 1-A state championship match against Madison County High School. Honaker won the championship in 1984 over King William 5-2.
Theater
For the 1951-1952 school year, Honaker's theater program was awarded a superior rating by the VHSL.
Notable alumni
- Heath Miller, Former American football tight end for the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers
- Emerald Candida Robinson, Actress, model, journalist. The daily orbit at redorbit.com, The Young and the Restless, Hit Team (2013), Categorized, Clams with Green Onions