The Northside Eagles ignored the antics of the Tri-Cities Bulldogs and showed them how a first-class high school program operates when they completely shut down the TC ‘show’ in a convincing 36-8 manhandling of the visiting team.

Senior Dillon Mixon got the Eagles on the board first with a 29 yard field goal after a 7 play – 44 yard drive stalled at the 8:13 point of the opening quarter. With 8:26 left in the second quarter, senior Marte Polk busted up the middle and scored from 21 yards out and Mixon’s PAT gave Northside a 10-0 lead. With Tri-Cities putting 9-10 men ‘in the box’, Northside countered with a play-action pass that senior Jack Montgomery perfectly lofted to Miguel Williams who caught it and outran the entire Bulldog defense for a 81 yard touchdown pass with only 55 seconds left before halftime. Mixon’s PAT gave Northside a 17-0 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, the Northside defense continued its complete smothering of the Tri-Cities offensive attack. With 3:55 left in the quarter, Eagle defensive end Austin Roberts sack the Bulldog quarterback in the endzone for a safety to up Northside’s lead to 19-0. After receiving the free kick following the safety, the Eagles went on a 5 play / 70 yard / 41 second drive ending when Williams broke free on a 15 yard touchdown run to push the lead to 29-0 with the PAT. With 52 seconds left in the third, Mixon drilled a 39 yard field for a 29-0 lead heading into the final quarter. Tri-Cities scored on a 5 yard run and 2 point conversion run with 11:51 left in the game after Northside began substituting on both sides of the ball. Williams ended his career night with a 29 yard touchdown with 9:46 left; Mixon’s PAT made the final score 36-8. Williams had 177 total yards and 3 touchdowns on only 7 touches in the game.

The victory sets up a classic semi-final showdown with the #1 ranked Tucker Tigers next Friday night at the MAC after Coach Kinsler won the coin toss with Coach Franklin of Tucker Saturday morning. The Eagles and Tigers come into the game with an identical 13-0 records in a battle for a championship game birth in two weeks. This will be only the second matchup between these two perennial state powers with the first being in the 2007 semi-finals at the GA Dome. That game saw the Tigers race to a 28-7 halftime lead before a dramatic second half rally by the Eagles gave them 31-28 victory propelling them to their second consecutive state title the following week against Ware Co.