Northside went on the road to Tifton, GA to take on the Blue Devils in an important region contest. The Blue Devils came out of the gate early to stun the Eagle fans, but the boys in blue remained calm and rallied in the second half for a 27-13 win.
Tift Co. took the opening kickoff of the game and drove 80 yards in 9 plays and got on the board first with a 9yd TD run. The PAT made the score 7-0 in favor of the Blue Devils with 7:00 left in the first quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, the short, high kick was misplayed by the Eagles and the Blue Devils recovered on the Northside 26. Four plays later, the Blue Devils were in the endzone again. The PAT was missed but Tift Co. led 13-0 with 5:55 still remaining in the opening quarter. The Eagles continued making mistakes and were kept off the scoreboard in the first half as the teams went into the locker rooms at half with Tift still in the lead.
In the second half, the Eagles came out a different team and began to play Northside football. Northside took the opening kickoff and drove 65 yards in 9 plays. Junior Briar Van Brunt ran in from 19 yards out and Devon Pike’s PAT cut the Blue Devil lead to 13-7 with 7:58 left in the 3rd quarter. After another defensive stop, Van Brunt was in the endzone again from after a 1 yard TD run capped a 10-play/55 yard drive. Pike’s PAT gave the Eagles their first lead of the night, 14-13. The Eagle D forced the Blue Devils to punt on their next possession and sophomore Taz Thomas busted through the middle of the line to block the punt. Rashad Wright scooped up the loose ball and ran 15 yards for another Eagle third quarter touchdown. Pike’s PAT made the score 21-13 with a little over a minute remaining in the period. Northside’s defense continued its outstanding play following Tift’s initial two scores by completely shutting down the Blue Devil offense. In the second half, the Big Blue D held Tift to 1 first down and 27 total yards (4 rushing). The Eagles ended their second half barrage when Van Brunt scored on a 26 yard TD run with 2:47 left in the game. Pike’s PAT was blocked but the Eagles led 27-13 with 2:47 left in the game. The Eagle D stopped any hope of a Blue Devil comeback by stopping Tift Co. on fourth down. The Eagles took a couple of ‘knees’ to run out the clock an remain unbeaten on the season.
The 8-0 Eagles now prepare for another Halloween weekend showdown with cross-town rival Warner Robins Demons.