The 9-0 Eagles took on the 3-6 Mt. Zion Bulldogs on a Thursday night for the right for the winner to enter the state playoffs and the loser had to go home. The normally balanced Eagle offense only attempted 6 passes all night as 15 different players carried the football and 5 different players scored rushing touchdowns, and Northside cruised to a 62-7 victory. The win makes the Eagles the #1 seed from Region 4 in the AAAA state playoffs.

Before the Eagle faithful could find their seats for the game, the Bulldogs had taken the opening kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown and the Eagle trailed 7-0 with 11:58 left in first quarter. Northside did not panic, however, as they took the ensuing kickoff and set off on a 9 play / 57 yard drive culminating in a Tijuan Green 3 yard touchdown run. Devon Pike was good on the PAT and the score was tied with 7:48 left in the opening quarter. After the Eagle D forced a “3 & Out”, the Eagles began a 10 play / 74 yard drive that ended when senior Kevyn Cooper took the snap from center and scampered 26 yards up the middle for a TD and a lead they would never relinquish. Pike was good again on the conversion and the score now stood at 14-7 with 1:58 left in the first.

In the second quarter, the Eagles scored 3 more touchdowns on 3 possessions that covered 17, 76, & 57 yards respectively. Green ran in from 11 yards out; Nick Bass took an end around into the endzone from 28 yards out; and Green scored again from 4 yards out with 46 seconds left in the first half. Devon Pike was perfect on all 3 PAT attempts and Northside went to the locker room with a 35-7 lead.

The Eagles began the second half at their own 35 after the kickoff went out of bounds. Tijuan Green ripped off a 41 yard run on the first play, and 2 plays later, junior QB Joe Scott connected with Nick Bass on a 24 yard touchdown pass. After Pike’s good PAT, the Eagles led 42-7 with 10:38 left in the third. The defense forced another 3 & out and this time Nick Bass took the punt back 61 yards for a touchdown. Devon Pike ended his night with another good PAT attempt making him 7 for 7 on the night, and Northside now led 49-7 with 7:55 left in the third quarter. With the 9th grade season over, 30+ more young Eagles dressed for the game. This increased the number of dressed out players to over 125 and everyone saw some action for the rest of the game. Sophomore quarterback Jordan Couillard saw his first action of the season and orchestrated 2 quick scoring drives which saw Xavier Hawkins race in from 30 yards out and TE Alan Davis pick up a fumble and streak 65 yards for a touchdown. Freshman Alex Crist was 1 of 2 on the PAT attempts and the third quarter ended with Northside leading 62-7.

The fourth quarter resembled a fire drill with the running clock and the Eagles running waves of players in and out on every play. The young defenders kept the Bulldogs off the scoreboard and their offensive counterparts moved the ball on the ground well enough to run out the clock. If not for the opening KO return for a TD, the Eagle defense would have had another shutout. They did hold the Bulldogs to 83 yards of total offense, and they limited Mt. Zion’s star running back Martin Ward to 41 yards on 21 carries.

The Eagles finished the regular season with a 10-0 record and riding a 25 game winning streak. They now will face the #4 seed from Region 2 next Friday night at the MAC.