SUWANEE, Ga. — A strong pass game and a relentless pass rush were the themes of Thursday’s scrimmage between the Eastside Eagles and Peachtree Ridge Lions.
The Lions ultimately came away with the win on a last-second touchdown with both teams’ backups on the field, but the game allowed people to get a glimpse into this year’s Eagles.
Many of the successful parts from last year’s team carried over while a few new faces made plays for head coach Jay Cawthon on Thursday.
Either way, Cawthon noted that the team was just ready to go out there and be physical on the field.
“They’ve been itching [to play],” Cawthon said. “I think every team at this point in the state of Georgia is ready to get it going for real. I am proud of the way they came out — it was physical. That’s what I talked to them about [in the locker room], just being physical. That’s what we are known for — being physical. I am just very proud of that.”
Shaw gets it going through the air
Midway through the second quarter on Thursday, the Eagles found themselves up 14-0 after a pair of touchdown passes from senior quarterback Payton Shaw.
Now in his third year as the starter, Shaw’s familiarity with the system showed.
Shaw put the Eagles ahead early when he connected with Denico Henderson on a slant across the field from 21-yards out as the senior fit the ball between a trio of Lions’ defenders.
Later in the half, Shaw perhaps made the throw of the day when he lofted the ball over 40 yards into the hands of sophomore Garrett Brooks, who made the catch in double coverage.
When asked about what players impressed him the most on Thursday, Brooks topped the list for Cawthon.
“I think Garrett Brooks had a great game,” Cawthon said. “Myles Mims is him — he is what he is. I think all of our running backs — Tyler Solomon, Sincere Jackson. We got a lot of guys playing a lot of snaps and they know when we conditioned that there is a reason for that. We don't have a lot of depth, so I am proud of them.”
A few plays later, Shaw rolled out to his left on the play-action before he found senior Christian Seymore wide open for an 11-yard touchdown reception.
The Eagles’ offensive starters played their final drive of the game to open the third quarter, and Shaw and the running duo of Myles Mims and Tyler Solomon moved the ball down the field yard-by-yard as it proved to be one of the longest drives of the day.
One of the highlights of the final drive for the starters is when senior defensive linemen Xavier Joseph made a one-handed snag on the sideline that saw him perform a toe-drag on the sideline to keep it in bounds.
However, the drive ended empty-handed when a 42-yard field goal from Jonathan Gomez came up just a few yards short.
Although the team brought back linemen such as Gavin Gorham, the offensive line is an unproven group for the Eagles, according to Cawthon.
“Protection we have to work on a little bit, no doubt about it,” Cawthon said. “We will get back, watch the film and make some adjustments. I think we played pretty physical.I think we will get better in pass protection as the season goes on.”
From there, Cawthon moved to the second-team offense that was unable to add any insurance in the game.
The front seven was at their best
Although the team graduated many quality starters from the front seven from a year ago and is under the direction of a new coordinator, the Eastside pass rush seemed to not miss a beat on Thursday.
Joseph, Seymore and Jameel McMichael seemed to be in the backfield every play as they made life hard for Peachtree Ridge quarterback Marion Luckett and his offensive line.
Although Seymore made an impact on the offense too, Cawthon shared that the senior is getting a chance to show all of what he can do now that is an everydown player.
“Christian Seymore worked his butt off to be where he is. He is a team leader,” Cawthon said. “I am just so happy that he is getting a chance to show his talents on the defensive line.”
The trio came away with multiple sacks apiece during their 2.5 quarters of action on Thursday.
In the final minute of the first half, Peachtree Ridge scored its first points of the game on a seven-yard touchdown reception.
Looking to week one
Week one now awaits the Eagles and it is a rematch with Newton, a team they defeated 26-15 a year ago in a stunner at Sharp Stadium.
The game holds a lot of weight in the county, but Cawthon emphasized that it will be just another game for Eastside.
“It’s the biggest game because it is the next game. That’s our mentality,” Cawthon said. “No game is bigger than the other, that is what we preach here. We preach 1-0. I know it is huge for the community. These first four games have no bearing on us reaching our goals.”
