The following is a review of the 2014 Eastside Eagles spring athletic season:
Baseball
The Eastside Eagles varsity baseball team suffered through an up and down season in 2014 as the team struggled to find consistency on the field.
In non-region play, the Eagles suffered a pair of rivalry losses to Newton and Alcovy to start the season, but rebounded with a 7-6 victory over the Rams in their third game of the year before taking a 5-0 shutout win over the Tigers in mid-March.
Eastside powered its way through region play, posting a 9-7 overall record, sweeping region series against Johnson and Chestatee to begin its region schedule.
The Eagles split region contests with Lanier and Madison County, but were swept mid-season by region leaders Walnut Grove and Lumpkin County.
With playoff hopes on the line, the Eagles rebounded with a sweep of state tournament qualifier Stephens County, but split their regular season finale against Monroe Area, finishing 9-7 in league play, good for fifth in Region 8-AAAA.
The Eagles finished two games behind Stephens County for a playoff berth missing the playoffs for the first time under second-year coach Jon Ayres.
Golf
The Eastside High School boys and girls golf teams are the only programs in the county still competing this spring after earning berths in the Class AAAA state tournament.
The boys and girls programs first displayed their dominance locally at the Newton Cup, sweeping the competition. The Eagles captured their 10th consecutive Newton Cup, while the Lady Eagles cruised to an 18-stroke win over Newton and Alcovy.
A week later, both teams earned postseason berths with their play at the Region 8-AAAA tournament. The Eagles automatically qualified for the state tournament, shooting a team-total 350. Eastside’s total score just hit the mark for state qualification, while also besting the rest of the field for the region title.
The Lady Eagles placed second in the region, finishing 15 strokes behind Madison County, but also qualified for a state title berth after placing third overall in the Class AAAA state sectional.
State tournament play will begin May 19.
Soccer
The Eastside boys and girls soccer teams had a tough going in 2014, as both failed to qualify for the postseason.
The Lady Eagles picked up just a pair of wins in 2014, besting Monticello 3-1 in their season opener and Henry County 4-0 at home on Senior Night.
In between, the Lady Eagles went 0-8 in region play while dropping non-region contests to rivals Newton and Alcovy.
Meanwhile, the Eagles finished their 2014 campaign with a 10-5 mark, narrowly missing the postseason with a 4-4 record in Region 8-AAAA play.
Eastside went 1-1 against rivals Alcovy and Newton, outscoring their in-county opponents 11-0.
In region action, Eastside picked up wins over Monroe Area. Stephens County, Walnut Grove and Madison County, but were edged out of a playoff bid by Lumpkin County.
Tennis
The Eastside boys and girls tennis teams had short runs through the 2014 postseason, falling in the opening round of the Region 8-AAAA tournament to Chestatee.
The Indians topped the Eastside boys team 3-0, giving up just nine total games in three matches.
The Lady Eagles also fell to Chestatee 3-0. The Lady Indians did not drop a set to Eastside in the three-game sweep.
Neither team qualified for the postseason, but, the Lady Eagles did pick up an impressive Senior Day win, defeating Morgan County 4-1 in its final home contest of the season.
Track
The Eastside girls and boys track programs had a strong showing in 2014, placing third and second, respectively, in Region 8-AAAA.
The Lady Eagles placed third in the region behind Lanier and Chestatee, while the boys program finished just four points shy of Lanier for tops overall in the region.
At the Class AAAA sectionals, the Lady Eagles qualified for four state meet events, and Nylah Chavis (second, high jump) and Breanna Thornton (second, triple jump; eighth, 400 meter dash) helped Eastside to a 10th place finish.
After placing second in the region, the Eastside boys team qualified for seven state meet events. Final results for the Class AAAA state boys track and field meet were not available at press time.
