In a Friday packed with thrilling matchups, Newton County’s three high school football teams went 0-3, but two of them stood strong and were a few plays away from getting a win.

Eastside vs. Jonesboro
Eastside fell 27-21 to Jonesboro in overtime. The Eagles led 13-0 at halftime, but Jonesboro came storming back in the second half. The Eagles went up 21-13 in the fourth, but Jonesboro scored quick to tie the game. In overtime Carlos Huggins ran the ball on the first play to the three-yard line, but Eastside fumbled on the next play and Jonesboro took over. The Cardinals managed to score on third down with a nine-yard touchdown pass to win it.

Newton vs. Lowndes
In the rematch of the century, Lowndes got revenge against Newton winning 17-13. Lowndes led 10-0 at the half. The Rams battled back and scored in the third. The Vikings scored again to take a 17-7 lead. Newton scored a touchdown with less than six minutes to play. To end the game, Newton turned the ball over on downs after getting the ball at their own 10 with just over a minute to go.

Alcovy vs. Tift County
Coming off a close loss to Pebblebrook, Alcovy was looking to respond against Tift County. It was Tift’s homecoming and come home they did. Tift ran off to a 42-7 victory over the Tigers, scoring all 42 points in the first three quarters.