The Eagles met the #1 ranked (AAA) Carver Tigers Friday night at the MAC in a rematch of perennial state powers from different classifications. Last year, Northside squeaked by with a close 7-6 victory over the Tigers in Columbus. Carver made the trip to Warner Robins this year with revenge on their mind.

The game was marked by physical play all night on both sides with both defenses making the opposing team’s offense work for every yard. Senior Brandon Brown created the first break for the Eagles when he intercepted a Tiger pass midway through the first quarter. His 23 yard return set up Northside on the Carver 17 yard line. Four plays later, junior Shaquille O’Neil scored from 1 yard out and Devon Pike’s PAT gave the Eagles a 7-0 lead with 4:20 left in the first period. Defense and field position continued to rule the game. The Eagles also continued their troublesome habit of dropping the ball as the fumbled 4 times in the game – losing three of them to either stall good drives or to put the Tigers in good field position, but the Eagle defense did not break in the first half as they repeatedly kept the Tigers out of the endzone after Northside turnovers. The Eagle O finally got rolling later in the second quarter when junior QB Briar Van Brunt connected with sophomore tight end Stephon Cross for a 5 yard TD pass with 5:39 left in the second quarter. The Eagles were on the board again 2 minutes later when O’Neil scored from 21 yards out. Pike connected on both PATs and the Eagles went into the locker room with a hard fought 21-0 lead.

The second half was more of the same – hard hitting defense and opportunistic offense, but this time it was the Tigers who cashed in with 2 rushing touchdowns – one in the third and one in the fourth. They missed the PAT on their first TD and tried a two point run on the second that was stuffed by the Eagle defense to make the score 21-12 with 6:15 left in the game. Northside took over after the ensuing kickoff on their own 20 yard line. The Northside offense then proceeded to go on an impressive 61 yard drive for the full 6:15 to run out the clock and preserve the victory for the Eagles. The Eagles now are 2-0 on the season and begin region play next week when they travel to Valdosta to take on the Wildcats.