Greer's Troy Pride scored two consecutive touchdowns on punt returns in the second quarter to push Greer from a 7-6 deficit to a 20-7 lead in the second quarter.
They left with a 49-8 loss and an unwanted twist in what had been a storybook season.
The third-ranked and unbeaten Yellow Jackets got a pair of punt returns for touchdowns from Troy Pride and broke the game open with a pair of Adrian McGee touchdowns within 12 seconds of one another to begin the second half.
An Eastside fumble set up Greer's initial touchdown – a 19-yard scamper by quarterback Mario Cusano – and handed the Yellow Jackets a 6-0 lead after a missed extra-point try.
Two possessions later, the Eagles took over on downs at their own 50, and quarterback T.J. Gist answered with a 14-yard touchdown run and a 7-6 lead with 7:17 left in the first quarter.
That lead held up through the opening minutes of the second quarter, but the Greer defense managed to shut out Eastside the rest of the way while the Yellow Jackets' offense and special teams found their footing on the rain-soaked grass of Dooley Field with 42 unanswered points.
While the heavy rains predicted for Friday night held off, Pride began Greer's scoring deluge with a 28-yard punt return for a touchdown with 9:29 left in the first half.
Later in the quarter, Greer forced another Alex Woznik punt and Pride returned it 77 yards for a score and a 20-7 lead with 3:57 remaining in the second quarter.
"We made some errors on special teams," said first-year Eastside head coach Steve Wilson. "We weren't supposed to kick it to (Pride), but we did."
It got worse quickly for the Eagles at the beginning of the third quarter.
On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, Adrian McGee sprinted 80 yards off right tackle for the longest touchdown play of the night and a 28-7 lead with 11:38 left in the third quarter.
Two plays later, McGee was in the end zone again after intercepting a Gist pass at the Eagles 25-yard-line and returning it for the score and a 34-7 lead.
Cameron Kelley's 10-yard touchdown run completed a decisive third quarter for the Yellow Jackets and a disastrous one for Eastside, which saw its three-game winning streak snapped.
“I’m pleased with how our kids responded tonight," Greer Head Coach Will Young, said. "With the atmosphere and the change in time and the overall sloppiness of the atmosphere … defensively, I thought we played well from the start. Offensively, we got going there in the second quarter a little bit."
McGee led the Yellow Jackets (6-0 overall, 3-0 Region 2-AAA) with a game-high 99 yards rushing on 10 carries, and Cusano added 62 yards on the ground and 150 yards passing, including a 49-yard scoring strike to Pride that ended the scoring.
The Eagles came into the game with region over Chapman and Blue Ridge and had the Eagles (4-2, 2-1) tied atop the conference standings with Greer.
|
SCORE BY QUARTERS |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
|
TOTAL |
|
(V) Eastside |
7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
7 |
|
(H) Greer |
6 |
14 |
28 |
0 |
|
48 |
|
TEAM |
EHS |
GHS |
|
|
(VISITOR) |
(HOME) |
|
Score |
7 |
48 |
|
First Downs |
10 |
18 |
|
Rushes / Yards (Net) |
35 / 137 |
37 / 250 |
|
Passing Yards (Net) |
85 |
157 |
|
Passes -- Att / Comp / Int |
25/10/2 |
21/11/0 |
|
Total Offensive Plays / Yards |
60 / 222 |
58 / 407 |
|
Fumble Returns / Yards |
0 / 0 |
0 / 0 |
|
Punt Returns / Yards |
0 / 0 |
3 / 105 |
|
Kickoff Returns / Yards |
3 / 78 |
1 / 22 |
|
Interception Returns / Yards |
0 / 0 |
2 / 25 |
|
Punts (Number/Average) |
9 / 33.4 |
5 / 32.0 |
|
Fumbles / Lost |
3 / 1 |
0 / 0 |
|
Penalties / Yards |
11 / 101 |
10 / 120 |
|
Possession Time |
29:07 |
22:31 |
|
EHS |
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
GHS |
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Scoring Summary: |
Plays |
Yards |
TOP |
Score |
|||
|
1 |
11:39 |
GHS |
Mario CUSANO Carries(QB Keeper) TOUCHDOWN, clock 11:39 19 yds PAT Run by Brice GREEN NO Good |
1 |
19 |
00:12 |
0 - 6 |
|
1 |
07:17 |
EHS |
TJ Gist Carries(QB Keeper) TOUCHDOWN, clock 07:17 14 yds PAT Kick by Alex Woznik GOOD. |
4 |
50 |
01:34 |
7 - 6 |
|
2 |
09:30 |
GHS |
Punt by Alex Woznik from EHS 2 for 26 yards returned by Troy PRIDE TOUCHDOWN, clock09:30 28 yds PAT Run by Mario CUSANO GOOD. |
0 |
0 |
0:00 |
7 - 14 |
|
2 |
06:03 |
GHS |
Punt by Alex Woznik from EHS 41 for 36 yards returned by Troy PRIDE TOUCHDOWN, clock03:57 77 yds PAT Kick by Nicholas ROBERSON NO Good |
0 |
0 |
0:00 |
7 - 20 |
|
3 |
11:38 |
GHS |
Adrian MCGEE Carries(Hand Off) TOUCHDOWN, clock 11:38 80 yds PAT Run by Dorian LINDSEY GOOD. |
1 |
80 |
00:22 |
7 - 28 |
|
3 |
11:26 |
GHS |
TJ Gist Passes to Unknown INTERCEPTED by Adrian MCGEE at the EHS 25 TOUCHDOWN, clock 11:26 25 yds PAT Kick by Nicholas ROBERSON NO Good |
0 |
0 |
0:00 |
7 - 34 |
|
3 |
08:43 |
GHS |
Cameron KELLEY Carries(Hand Off) TOUCHDOWN, clock 08:43 10 yds PAT Kick by Nicholas ROBERSON GOOD. |
4 |
44 |
01:16 |
7 - 41 |
|
3 |
08:11 |
GHS |
Mario CUSANO Passes to Troy PRIDE COMPLETE TOUCHDOWN, clock 08:11 49 yds PAT Kick by Nicholas ROBERSON GOOD. |
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