In the first round of the Class AAAAA playoffs Friday night, the Eastside Eagles fought off the Chapel Hill Panthers’ comeback attempt to advance.

Coming out of halftime, the Eagles put their foot on the gas and never looked back. Twenty-one unanswered points later, Eastside came away with a 38-14 win.

Head coach Jay Cawthon spoke about his team’s resilience following their strong second half.

“We should have put the nail in the coffin early, but we didn’t,” Cawthon said. “Like I told them at halftime, the first drive was going to be key and the two big goal line stands just gave life to our team. There is a lot of love in that room. They pull for each other.”

After Eastside saw its early 17-0 advantage shrink to a three-point lead, numerous Eagles made plays for the team to run away down the stretch. 

Leading 17-14 in the final seconds of the third, Jayden Barr scored the first points of the second half. He found paydirt from the goal line to extend Eastside’s lead 24-14. 

Two plays later, Eastside found its way back in the end zone.

Marion Eubanks Jr. jumped the route to pick off Chapel Hill quarterback Delancy Alexander before strolling in for an Eastside pick-six. The interception was Eubanks’ sixth of the season. 

The defensive score gave the Eagles a 31-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. The junior’s big play ability has not gone unnoticed by his coach, either. 

“He is him,” Cawthon said. “In a crucial time, he has come up so big this year. The thing about him is that he loves his teammates. He is a great kid and a great ballplayer.”

Eastside added another score late. This time, Bailey Benson set up the scoring opportunity with a sack to force a turnover on downs. 

Sophomore gunslinger Payton Shaw led another touchdown drive. 

After key runs from Anquez Cobb moved the Eagles downfield, Shaw found Barr wide open for a 22-yard touchdown. 

By that point, the game was well in hand, which was similar to how the game started. 

Shaw’s arm got the Eagles rolling to a 14-0 lead early in the contest.

On Eastside’s second drive of the game, Shaw found Michael Kenon down the middle of the field for a 70-yard touchdown pass.

One drive later, Shaw marched the Eastside offense down the field before connecting with Kenon again. 

Shaw’s pass to Kenon resulted in a 22-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead.

Jonathan Gomez’s 33-yard field goal in the second quarter made it a 17-0 advantage.

Following the field goal, the Panthers began mounting their comeback.

Chapel Hill’s Alexander found his tailback for a 88-yard score. One drive later, Alexander capitalized on an Eastside turnover by scoring on a one-yard rush.

Alexander’s second score made it a 17-14 game going into halftime.

Multiple Eagles players popped on the stat sheet in the win. Shaw finished the game with three touchdowns while Barr finished with one rushing and receiving score. The other two receiving touchdowns were hauled in by Kenon. 

The 24-point victory advanced the Eagles to the second round of the Class AAAAA playoffs. 

Eastside will go on the road to face the Cartersville Hurricanes (11-0) Friday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. The Hurricanes defeated Centennial 40-0 in round one.