COVINGTON, Ga. – There was a steady rain throughout tonight’s Eastside vs Archer contest. But that did not rain on the momentum of the Eagles as they picked up the 34-16 win at home against the Tigers.
Two scores out of the gate from touchdown passes by Payton Shaw got the Eagles the lead early. The Tigers, however, were not interested in going away early.
Back-and-forth scores between the teams put the Eagles up 20-7 at half.
The Tigers put together some momentum in the third quarter, with a 32-yard field goal to close the game within 10 points.
Both teams then traded scores to put the game at 27-16, before senior running back Jayden Barr sealed the deal for the Eagles with his second rushing score of the night to get the win.
The game started off fast with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Payton Shaw to Michael Kenon Jr. for an Eagles score in the first two minutes in the game.
After an Archer three and out the Eagles got right back on the scoreboard, this time with a pass from Shaw to Xavier Joseph for the 14-0 lead.
After a slow start, Archer rallied toward the end of the first quarter. This was capped off by a quarterback keeper by the Tigers’ Jordan Do to keep the game within one score.
Going into the second quarter, the Eagles failed to put up any meaningful offensive production in the first few minutes. A sack by Tennessee commit Christian Gass turned the momentum of the game back in the Eagles.
This led to a Eagles 10-yard rushing touchdown by Georgia Tech commit Jayden Barr. The missed point after attempt put the Eagles up 20-7.
Archer attempted to put some points on the board in the form of a 40-yard field goal attempt by Andrew Rogers which was no good.
The Eagles then avoided a near-disaster scenario when a high snap resulted in an Archer safety. A targeting call on the Tigers negated the safety and gave the Eagles good field position to close the half.
But a sack from Archer closed the half out at 20-7.
The Tigers started the half stagnant, but an improbable play by Do to Campbell set up the 32-yard field goal for Rogers to close Eastside’s lead to 20-10.
Eastside’s run game continued to be a daunting front for Archer’s defense as junior running back Tyler Solomon’s 20-yard touchdown gave the Eagles a 27-10 lead.
A three and out by the Tigers gave the Eagles good field position, but a high snap led to an Eastside fumble in their own territory that was recovered by the Tigers.
This led to a touchdown by Colby Alexander to put the Eagles up 27-16, following a missed two-point conversion.
Archer’s defense got the Eagles to a 4th down play, but it was no match for Barr as he took it all the way to the house for his second rushing touchdown of the night.
The Tigers attempted to rally back, but it was no match as the Eagles
The Newton Cup champions will continue to ride their wave of momentum into the bye week for Week 5 of the season. The Eagles will be back on the gridiron in two weeks against the Flowery Branch Falcons at home on Sept. 20.
