Maybe it was a near full moon. Maybe it was a case of one team's determination to over come the odds. Whatever was the case, Eastside and Newton put on a show in front of a packed Sharp Stadium Friday with the Eagles escaping with a 29-27 double-overtime win.

Newton used a 23-play drive that encompassed nearly the entire fourth quarter to score the tying touchdown with 1.3 seconds left in regulation and force overtime.

The Rams started the drive on the last play of the third quarter and didn't give Eastside the ball until the ensuing kickoff with less than two seconds remaining.  

Making things more difficult, the Rams overcame three penalties and converted four fourth downs before Akeem Hunt took an 8-yard sweep around the left edge to clip the pylon and bring his team to within an extra point.

Eastside did its part in aiding the Rams drive as it was flagged twice for pass interference including once in the end zone. Each time the defensive penalty allowed the Rams to convert a fourth down.  

In overtime, both teams failed to score on its first possession. Newton missed a 27-yard field goal while Justin Wray's third-down pass over the middle was picked off by linebacker Quinton Pooler.

Eastside capitalized on its next possession as Wray scored on a 6-yard run. The Eagles lined up for the extra point but an illegal formation penalty gave the them the ball on the one and head coach Rick Hurst elected to go for the two-point conversion. The call paid off and the Eagles took an eight-point lead.

Newton responded on its attempt from the 15-yard line as Darius McCray answered with a 6-yard touchdown run. Needing the two-point conversion to extend overtime, McCray took a quarterback option to the left side but came up short as Zach Johnson shot the gap and tackled him for a loss and preserve the win.

For a complete game recap including stats and photos, please look in Sunday's print edition of The News.