Newton Citizen

EHS guy getting tackled is #3other EHS guy is #6

COVINGTON -- Both a 66-yard fumble return by senior Marcus Williams and a 31-yard interception return by Okon Godwin for touchdowns by Alcovy's defense in the fourth quarter turned a possible loss into a 24-10 win over county rival Eastside on Friday at Homer Sharp Stadium.

"All those kids played last year and they're still young. A lot of them are just juniors," said Alcovy head coach Kirk Hoffman. "They made great adjustments on defense. They made plays when we had to."

Eastside (2-1) started the game with a no-huddle offense that looked like it had worked the kinks out of its system, marching down the field 61 yards and eating up the clock before scoring on a 36-yard Colton Smith field goal with 5:40 remaining in the opening period. Eastside also took advantage of several Alcovy (1-2) miscues, gaining 30 yards on two penalties while moving the ball with nine running and five passing plays.

The Tigers responded with a 67-yard, 10-play drive capped by a 27-yard Williams run.

Alcovy's defense stopped the Eagles from scoring for the rest of the first half while extending its lead to 9-3 after a second-quarter safety.It looked like Alcovy's defense was going to stop the Eagles from scoring. But a fourth-and-six play from the Alcovy 33-yard line turned into a touchdown when Cameron Boyd evaded a defender, allowing him to break free to give Eastside a 10-9 lead with 2:09 left in the third frame off a Damario Terrell pass."In the past, we would've hung our heads," Hoffman said. "But I started hearing 'Guys, we're still in this.' This team didn't hang their head. We handled adversity."

Eastside's defense started to solidify its position after the touchdown, forcing Alcovy to go three-and-out. However, Alcovy's defense made things happen with Williams' fumble recovery, scoring the touchdown to take a 17-10 lead 20 seconds into the fourth period following a pass for the 2-point conversion.

Alcovy's running game consisted of Cornell White running for 44 yards on 17 carries and Williams who ran for 47 yards on 19 touches.

"What can I say about Cornell White?" Hoffman said. "You put the ball in his hands and he's going to take care of it. He's going to get you some tough yards. He's like a slithering snake in there. Marcus Williams has played a whole lot better than he has. The offensive line has gotten better. We're getting there."