The last words out of Coach Nix’s mouth to his team just before leaving the school dressing room before Friday night’s state championship game were, “Guys, let’s Make It Happen, let’s go win the dadgum state championship!” And true to their season motto of “Make It Happen”, the 2006 Northside Eagles turned in an overall dominating performance and did indeed win the school’s first state championship in football with a 30-6 victory over the Marist War Eagles of Atlanta. Running back Tijuan Green saved his career best effort for this game as the junior ran the ball 27 times for 240 yards and 2 touchdowns and also caught 3 passes for another 45 yards and one touchdown, and the Northside defense led by senior linebacker Deonta Jordan suffocated the dangerous Marist rushing attack all night – especially in the second half when the War Eagles were held to 32 total yards.


Marist received the opening kickoff and the Eagle defense held them to 3 plays and a punt. The Eagles took possession at their own 28 yard line and proceeded to run 7 plays for 52 yards before stalling at the Marist 20 yard line. Freshman placekicker Devon Pike calmly connected on his career best field goal of 37 yards, and Northside led 3-0 with 6:48 left in the opening quarter. Marist put together an eight play – 49 yard drive with half the yardage coming on a 25 yard end around. The defense regrouped after the reverse, and the Marist drive stalled at the Northside 26, and they had to settle for a 43 yard field which tied the game at three apiece with 2:16 left in the first quarter. The Eagles fumbled on their next possession on their own 23 yard line setting up Marist with a chance to take control of the game with a touchdown, but the Eagle defense bowed its collective neck and held the War Eagles to only 8 yards in 3 plays and forced another field goal. The 32 yard field goal gave Marist a 6-3 lead in the game, but it turned out to be the last time they would score on this championship night. The offense took over at their own 20 after a touchback on the kickoff eager to regain control of the game after its last fumble, and they certainly did. With Green ripping off chunks of yardage behind the Eagle O-Line of Robert Crawford, Veshan Oats, Jordan Dooley, Jerome Bibbins, Will Zunino, and Brett Moore, the Eagles romped down the field and then turn it over to junior quarterback Marques Ivory who connected with Nick Bass with a beautiful 35 yard scoring strike to regain the lead for good at the 6:56 mark of the 2nd quarter. The scoring drive covered 80 yards in 8 plays and Northside Eagle fans were rocking the MAC. The Eagle D forced another “3 and Out”, but the offense could not capitalize as they were intercepted in the endzone. Marist got the ball on its own 20 with 3:16 left before half, but the Eagle defense again forced a punt after 3 plays, but the Eagles were called on a very questionable roughing the punter which gave the ball back to Marist. The War Eagles continued to march down the field until they were forced to try a 43 yard field goal with 5 seconds left in the first half. The attempt was just wide left and both teams went to locker room with Northside leading 9-6.


The Eagles came out in the third quarter and completely took over the ball game on both sides of the ball. After another touchback, the offense started on its 20 and quickly covered the full 80 yards in only 5 plays – culminating in Tijuan Green’s 43 burst up the middle. Devon Pike’s PAT was good, and the Eagles now led 16-6 with 9:51 left in the third quarter, and they never looked back. Deonta Jordan and his defensive mates – Isaac Wilson, Eric Fields, Damon Lopez, Anthony Taylor, Abry Jones, Marcus Hill, John Ridley, Eddie Thomas, Mario Armstrong, Mitchell Bell, Charles McKenzie, Keith Townsend, and K.J. Morton – again stuffed Marist in 3 plays and forced a punt that set up the Eagle offense in great shape at its own 48 yard line. It took the Eagles only 4 plays to hit paydirt again as Ivory connected with Green on a 29 yard laser down the right sideline for a 23-6 lead after Pike’s PAT. The defense then forced a fumble on Marist’s 3rd offensive play and it was recovered by Jordan at the Marist 41, but the Eagles were forced to punt for the only time on the night after a holding call wiped out an apparent first down. Senior Ricardo Negron’s punt and great special teams’ coverage pinned Marist inside its 10 yard line.


Marist ran seven plays before being forced to punt again, and the Eagles were in business again at their own 42 yard line. The Eagle O-Line and Green proceeded to gash the Marist D again on a 7 play – 58 yard scoring drive that ended with Green diving into the endzone from 1 yard out. Pike’s PAT put the final points on the board with 7:40 left to go in the 4th quarter. On their 4th play from scrimmage on its final drive of the night, Marist fumbled and, who else, Deonta Jordan recovered it with 6:07 left in the game. The Eagles marched to about the 10 yard line of Marist before taking a knee on 3 successive plays to run out the clock and to earn the 2006 AAAA Georgia State Championship. The Eagle faithful stormed the field; Coach Nix received his much deserved “Gatorade bath”; the team and fans embraced and just enjoyed the moment of this history making night for close to an hour at midfield of the MAC.


15 December 2006 --- 30-6 --- We Made It Happen!


It’s Great to be a Northside Eagle!