Two #1 seeded teams were set to play in the third round, so Northside and Habersham-Central had to meet for a coin flip to decide the home team for the contest. On the advice of senior Mario Armstrong, Coach Nix called “tails” and won the toss so the Eagles were set to be home for the third straight week of the playoffs. The fans of the Pirates of Habersham-Central were not deterred as they brought a large crowd to the MAC for the matchup to determine who would be heading to the Dome the following week. The enthusiastic and vocal Habersham crowd stood and cheered until the final whistle, but the Eagles solidified their No. 1 ranking in the state with a convincing 34-0 win over the Pirates.

Deonta Jordan got the Eagles on the board first with a 2 yard touchdown run after an 11 play 60 yard drive. Devon Pike kicked the PAT and the Eagles led 7-0 with 4:53 left in the first quarter. The Eagles were in the endzone again at 9:15 in the second quarter as QB Marques Ivory hooked up with Nick Bass on a 5 yard touchdown pass after an 8 play / 54 yard drive. Pike’s PAT made the score 14-0 and it remained unchanged as the half ended.

On Northside’s second possession of the second half, junior Tijuan Green scored from 15 yards out after a 4 play / 53 yard drive. Pike’s PAT was blocked and the Eagles led 20-0 with 5:50 left in the third quarter. With just over a minute left in the third, Ivory again connected with Bass for a touchdown, this time from 13 yards out to culminate a 5 play / 52 yard drive. Pike’s PAT made the score 27-0 with 7:38 left in the fourth quarter. Green sealed the victory for the Eagles when he crossed the goal line with 54 seconds left in the game after a 12 play / 59 yard drive. Senior exchange student Markus Hartmann tacked on the PAT and the final score was 34-0.

The Eagles are now headed to the Georgia Dome for the fourth time in school history and the second year in a row for a semi-final contest with the Golden Lions of St. Pius X.