Gainesville High School’s Winless Season Ends Against Eastside

Ainsley Davis November 6, 2022 Football, Gainesville, Gainesville High School, High School Sports 1,066 Views

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

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.

Quarter 2

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.

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

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.

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About Ainsley Davis

Ainsley Davis is a second-year sports journalism student at the University of Florida.

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