Don’t tell me the Hambone offense won’t work at East Rowan High School.

I didn’t see many games this season — five to be exact. Somebody had to stay in on Friday night and lay out the paper and I gave myself that job most of the season.

When I did cover games, I gave myself the longest trips. Once I went to Mount Pleasant. Once, I went to Sun Valley.

East Rowan played at both places. And I’m here to say I saw Tom Eanes’ Hambone score a combined 98 points and rack up almost 1,000 yards of offense in those two games.

When the Mustangs put up a 58 spot on Sun Valley Friday, there wasn’t a dry eye among the players. Sure, East may have finished 3-8 but they went out in style.

Four hundred and seventy-nine yards rushing? Two hundred and seventy-five by one player?

It was an awesome display of what the Hambone really is, with its deception and movement and quick-scoring potential.

“I think you saw what we’ve been trying to do,” said Eanes, who completed his first season.

Eanes had to endure mommies and daddies questioning everything he did — of course, that happens when you don’t come in and win every game.

Ask Scott Young, whose first year at West Rowan ended with a 3-8 record. Ask A.L. Brown’s first-year coach Ron Massey, who is still receiving some barbs because his team lost one — that’s right, one — game in a 10-win regular season. Massey doesn’t even stand on the sidelines anymore. He directs from atop the press box.

Eanes’ wife watches from the other team’s bleachers on most nights. After the Mount Pleasant game, she was harassed by at least one parent.

It’s unbelievable but it happens at many high schools where fickle fans think they know more than the coach or their sons who play.

And that’s why East Rowan’s 58-22 victory over Sun Valley was so special.

Those Mustangs were swelling with pride. Each and every one of them. They had won this game for their teammates, their school and most of all, their coaching staff.

Don’t think so? Just listen.

“Because we lost more than we won, you wouldn’t think we’d have fun,” said Cal Hayes, the author of that 275-yard night in Indian Trail. “But every day, it was fun in practice. It was one of the best years in football I’ve ever had.”

Are you reading this football fans? Cal Hayes said that the 3-8 season at East Rowan was one of his best years ever in that sport.

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Hayes’ statement is a tribute to Eanes. There really is more to high school sports than winning and losing.

It’s about never giving up. East could have gone into last Friday wishing the season would just end.

That’s what the average person would be thinking. But high school athletes are not average. Far from it. They are resilient. And when everyone finally gets it through their head that this is the way it’s going to be, good things can happen.

Senior Raymondo Brady said, “We weeded out the ones who didn’t want to be here. The ones out here tonight came to every practice, every day.”

“Everybody stopped doubting what we were doing,” continued Brady, who ended his career with a 134-yard rushing night. “This team has played a lot of people close. Coach (Mark)Snow (the offensive coordinator)and Coach Eanes always had something good for every team. We just didn’t perfect it.”

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There were people who came to Sun Valley Friday night saying they just wanted it all to end.

They were the ones not wearing pads. They were the ones not practicing and bonding with Eanes’ coaching staff.

Despite the 3-8 record, the players did not want it to end. Just listen.

“This is the last time we’ll play football together,” said linebacker Blake Abernathy. “I’m proud that we didn’t give up when things got hard.”

Are you reading this, football fans? Abernathy’s senior season did not go as planned but here he was, talking about how proud he was of his teammates, all the while sobbing through his words.

That’s emotional stuff.

Nearby was Chris Cook, a senior defensive lineman. There were tears underneath his face mask, too.

Cook had a great final Friday. He made the first tackle of the game and then scooped up a fumble late that enabled Brady to score the last touchdown of their senior season.

“Getting the first tackle and then that fumble made my day,” Cook said. “We’ve been looking for something like this all season. We wanted to end with a big win. And it’s great because we’re a close-knit group of guys. We love each other.”

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After Friday night’s game on Sun Valley’s cow pasture of a football field, not one player was questioning Tom Eanes. Or principal Harry Starr for choosing him. Those kids got something out of this season from a man whose life revolves around his family first and his football players second.

After Eanes thanked the seniors for starting something special for the year 2001, they were thanking him for three months of fun and enjoyment. And for introducing them to quite an offense.

Just listen.

“We only had a couple of months to work on it,” Abernathy said. “It will work. Give Coach Eanes time.”

North Rowan and West Rowan may have wrapped up outright conference titles Friday night, but you can’t tell me those guys were any happier than Chris Cook, Raymondo Brady, Blake Abernathy or any other player wearing that Mustang uniform.

Just like West and North, they were crying tears of joy, too — for their third win of the season and for having the chance to simply play a game they loved.

And win or lose, isn’t that what high school football is supposed to be about?

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Ronnie Gallagher is the sports editor of the Post.