Gainesville High School’s Winless Season Ends Against Eastside

By Evan Fleischer and Ainsley Davis

On Friday, cross-town rivals Gainesville High School and Eastside High School came together to battle out their last regular season game The 6-2 Eastside Rams had a generous favor over the 0-9 Hurricanes heading into the game.

Quarter 1

Great return by @GHSHurricanes to start rivalry game against @Eastsiderams @ESPNGainesville pic.twitter.com/82wUh3oY9d

— Evan Fleischer (@evan_fleischer) November 4, 2022

A big return by GHS senior running back John Cooper puts the Hurricanes in great field position at the 50-yard line. The Hurricanes face a quick 3-and-out, punting the ball to the Rams. Yet, a  strong GHS defense held up against Eastside on their first drive, getting the ball back on a 4th and five punt.

The Hurricanes get stuffed deep in their own territory and punt the ball to the 50-yard-line. EHS puts together a solid drive and finishes with a 15-yard touchdown pass by senior quarterback, Holden Johnson. GHS gets the ball back and starts to piece together a positive drive with great runs out of senior running back Donteau Jenkins. Yet, a forced fumble by Eastside turns the ball over at the 42-yard line, swinging the momentum right back to the Rams.

15-yard touchdown pass to put the @Eastsiderams up 7-0 @ESPNGainesville pic.twitter.com/lZL3JOOXAf

— Evan Fleischer (@evan_fleischer) November 4, 2022

Quarter 2

2-yard touchdown run by the @Eastsiderams. Eastside leads 14-0 @ESPNGainesville pic.twitter.com/IHTF6G366d

— Evan Fleischer (@evan_fleischer) November 5, 2022

Eastside struggles again against the GHS defense with junior Isaiah Jenkins finding the backfield for a 3rd down sack. GHS gets the ball back but sophomore quarterback Mason Swilling takes a sack on two consecutive plays. Hoping to pin the Rams deep, the Hurricanes opt for a punt, but the ball is blocked, giving the Rams 1st and 10 at the Hurricanes’ 20-yard-line.  A roughing the passer call on GHS brings the ball down to the 5-yard line.

A touchdown run by sophomore running back, Matthew Williams, puts the rams up 14-0. The Hurricanes get the ball back but quickly turn it over on an interception by junior safety, DJ Anderson. The Rams convert on 4th and 3 with an 11-yard run by senior running back Micah Hudson, bringing up a 1st and goal at the 8-yard line. Hudson gets the ball back on the next play and runs it in for the score. The PAT is no good, extending the Rams’ lead 20-0.

Rams rack up more points with an 8-yard TD run, extending their lead 20-0 @ESPNGainesville pic.twitter.com/nKOQ5CYeRN

— Evan Fleischer (@evan_fleischer) November 5, 2022

Quarter 3

Eastside started out strong with a first down after the kickoff and a 30-yard pass completion to junior Antonio Hubbert. However, the Hurricane defense was able to force a punt to bring some hope back into the crowd. With a Cane’s QB change, they hoped to change the momentum. 2 Ram encroachment penalties and a personal foul brought Gainesville to the Eastside 34-yard line where they hoped to strike a comeback.

The Canes completed a pass, but fumbled and turned the ball over to Eastside. Gainesville’s defense showed strength once again and forced the punt. The Hurricanes traveled to the 26-yard line and attempted a field goal in hopes to put a number on their side of the scoreboard. The field goal was blocked and recovered by Eastside where they executed a run to the 43 yard-line and a reception to the 27-yard line to end the 3rd quarter.

Quarter 4

@Eastsiderams run it in for the score. A successful 2-point conversation puts the Rams up 28-0 @ESPNGainesville pic.twitter.com/OO0VOm4Q5d

— Evan Fleischer (@evan_fleischer) November 5, 2022

The Rams started the final quarter off with a reception to Antonio Hubbert to put them inside the 5-yard line. A personal foul against Gainesville set Eastside up for a first and goal at the 1, allowing for a Micah Hudson touchdown. The Rams opted for a two-point conversion and successfully completed the attempt, courtesy of Hudson again, to put the Rams up 28-0.

The Hurricanes returned the following kickoff to the 48-yard line but were brought back to the 10 due to multiple flags. With a huge sack, the Rams left the QB shaken up. They capitalized on Gainesville’s poor field position and scored a safety to bring the score to 30-0. With another score at the end of the 4th, Gainesville’s disappointing season came to an end with a final score of 36-0.