The Eastside football team got the season off to a good start with a 30-7 win at home against Belleview.
Despite the easy win, Eastside football coach Harold “Gator” Hoskins was not happy about his team’s performance.
“We did not look impressive at all,” Hoskins said. “If I’m being honest, we’ve got a lot, a lot to improve. We were very undisciplined tonight, too many penalties. We had highlights here and there, but I was not impressed with us tonight.”
The Rams (1-0) set the tone with their defense.
On Belleview’s first possession, sophomore cornerback Malicah Williams recovered a fumble at the Rattlers’ 33-yard line.
Two plays later, Eastside senior running back Kemariyon Mack scored on a 21-yard run for a 7-0 lead with 8:34 to play in the opening quarter.
The Rattlers (0-1) consumed over seven minutes off the clock on their next drive, which stalled at the Eastside 35-yard line.
It didn’t take long for the Rams to strike again, taking their second possession of the game for a 4-play, 65-yard scoring drive.
Former GHS quarterback Nelson Tambling got the start as Eastside sophomore QB Cade Sutherland was in a cast with a fractured thumb on his throwing hand.
Tambling completed three straight passes of 11 yards to junior JaMeer McCarthy, 17 yards to senior Antonio Cortez, and 21 yards to McCarthy down to the 16-yard line.
On the next play, Mack scored on a 16-yard run on the first play of the second quarter for a 14-0 lead.
“Nelson did a great job, delivered the ball, made some great throws,” Hoskins said. “I’m pretty sure he was probably about 80% completion, maybe 75, he made some great throws.”
On its next offensive possession, Eastside was forced to punt from its own 39-yard line. However, Belleview roughed the punter, giving the Rams a first down at the Belleview 46-yard line with 4:04 to play in the half.
Facing a 3rd-and-20 from the Belleview 25-yard line with 35 seconds left in the half, Tambling found senior Marcus Coefield in the middle of the field for a 25-yard scoring pass and a 21-0 lead at the break.
“Marcus made a great catch, a kid who we think is going to be good for us this season, but again, we’ve just got to go back to the drawing board,” Hoskins said. “We’ve got to go back to work, got to fix it. Again, very, very, undisciplined. I was just thinking about a great Rickards (Tallahassee) team coming in here next week (Thursday), that don’t beat them. Tonight, that performance won’t beat Rickards next week.”
It was the first touchdown pass for Tambling in an Eastside uniform.
“We kind of saw the one high safety, when we go to trips, we’ve seen it all day,” he said. “He’s gonna shift over, get a man backside and Coefield is one heck of a player. I always love that guy one-on-one. That’s your one-on-one guy. Hey, love that guy. Give him a chance. Put the ball up and let him go get it.”
Eastside, which won the coin toss but deferred to the second half, returned the second half kick 30 yards and began their first drive of the third quarter at their own 40-yard line.
They ate up over five minutes off the clock before settling on a 34-yard field goal by senior Elijah Dressel for a 24-0 lead.
Senior Tramayne Montague’s interception on Belleview’s next possession led to a 27-yard touchdown run by sophomore Javaris Gardner for a 30-0 lead following a missed extra point.
The Rams were unable to impose a running clock and Belleview avoided the shutout with a 35-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Armani MacFarland to Marquee Davis with 2:43 remaining.
When asked if there was anything positive that stood out to Hoskins, he replied, “We won.”
It wasn’t pretty, but the Rams were never really challenged in the game.
Eastside will host Rickards, which defeated Godby (Tallahassee), 41-34, on Thursday night.
Football Scores
Thursday, Aug. 21
Buchholz 15, Vanguard (Ocala) 13
Friday, Aug. 22
Eastside 30, Belleview 7
GHS 36, Aubrey Rogers (Naples) 2
University Christian (Jacksonville) 47, Newberry 14
Oak Hall 50, Bronson 0Hawthorne 42, Discovery (Lake Alfred) 0
North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville) 32, Branford 20
Lake Weir (Ocala) 40, P.K. Yonge 0
First Academy-Leesburg 34, Saint Francis Catholic Academy 6
Chiefland 36, Williston 35 (2OT)
Trenton 26, Bell 7
Columbia (Lake City) 35, Suwannee (Live Oak) 6
Bradford (Starke) 24, Baker County (Glen St. Mary) 0
Taylor County (Perry) 20, Fort White 3
Interlachen 36, Keystone Heights 0
Lafayette (Mayo) 41, Dixie County (Cross City) 0
Yulee 21, Union County (Lake Butler) 6
Lakeside Christian 54, Cornerstone 0
OFF – Santa Fe (Alachua)
