Week 10 review: Young Eastside back in the playoffs

Eastside has been one of the most consistently good programs in the state for the last two decades. They have made the playoffs in 13 of 16 seasons. The Eagles are at it again this season, having qualified for the playoffs for the eighth straight season with a youthful starting lineup that includes only four seniors.

Last week the Eagles (6-2, 4-0 Region 8) won their fourth straight game, beating Clarke Central 14-7 for the program’s first-ever win over the Gladiators.

“We’ve gotten a little healthier and we’ve been playing well the last few weeks,” Eastside Jay Cawthon said. “I just found out about (the record against Clarke) the other day so it was good to get that monkey off our back.”

If Eastside can beat Winder-Barrow this week, the Eagles will host Jefferson for the region championship Nov. 2.

“We’ve got a lot of puppies running around,” Cawthon said. “We had a young team last year and we figured we would get better and that’s happening a little bit now. That just comes from gaining experience.”

That includes sophomore Payton Shaw, who started as a freshman, and has thrown for 867 yards this year. Junior Jayden Barr (529 yards rushing, 13 TDs; 19 receptions, two TDs) and senior A Cobb (618, eight TDs) are the top rushers behind a line that features talented tackles Tagen Brown and Carlton Belgrave. Marion Eubanks averages 26.2 yards per reception and starts at cornerback where he combines with Barr, Christian Gass and Elijah Davis to create a good secondary.

The defense features senior Jacorey Jackson on the line with sophomore Xavier Joseph, who started as a freshman, and ninth-grader Decorey Crumbley.

Dalton secures playoff spot

Dalton defeated Calhoun 28-21, its first win over the Yellow Jackets since 2016, and guaranteed itself a spot in the postseason. The Catamounts (7-2, 3-1) can win the Region 7 championship with a victory at Cartersville on Friday. Calhoun (6-3, 2-2) must now beat Cass or risk missing the playoffs.

Dalton did not allow a point in the second half and sealed the victory when Bubba Tanner intercepted a pass with less than a minute remaining. The Catamounts also forced a fumble in the second half and were able to overcome 225 yards of penalties.

The Dalton offense was led by Adriel Hernandez, who ran 18 times for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Tanner was a force on offense, too. He caught seven passes for 98 yards and one touchdown.

Calhoun’s Trey Townsend completed 19 of 31 passes for 186 yards, one interception and one touchdown. Caden Williams rushed 17 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns.