Scoring Surge Moves Eastside Past North Marion, 45-25
ALACHUA — With time winding down in the first quarter, the Eastside Rams needed to make a play. Inside the red zone for the first time, the Rams called something bold.
It started as any normal play with quarterback Nelson Tambling handing the ball off to running back Kamaryion Mack. He ran to his right and pitched it to the cutting receiver Kaleb McKinnon, who sprinted his way into the end zone. Touchdown Rams.
Those two words were something the fans heard often Friday night, when Eastside routed the North Marion Colts 45-25 at Santa Fe High School. It was McKinnon’s first of three scores, with each more impressive than the last.
After the Colts (2-7) went down the field and scored, the Rams (7-2) knew they had to get back to work on offense, and that they did. The first play after a Colts punt resulted in a touchdown, as Tambling and McKinnon linked up on an 80-yard touchdown.
The scoring did not stop there, as in the second half, McKinnon went to work again. This time, he posterized one defender when the senior receiver caught the ball over a Colt cornerback.
Eastside coach Harold “Gator” Hoskins said he loved what he saw from McKinnon.
“I’m very proud of the way he performed tonight,” Hoskins said. “He stepped up and made some great plays. He’s getting rolling here later in the season.”
Tambling said McKinnon really had four touchdowns in the game — three for him and one for Mack. Deep in the first half, Eastside was driving down the field before Tambling tossed one to Mack out of the backfield on a wheel route to get into the end zone easily. McKinnon predicted it the entire time.
“He said, he’ll (Mack) be able to beat a linebacker,” Tambling said. “So he calls it, Coach Gator goes, all right, we’ll call it. And there we go. We get it in the end zone one more time.”
He was not the only Eastside running back to score. Javaris Gardner got in on the action with a long touchdown in the third quarter, a week after his three-touchdown performance against Jacksonville Sandalwood.
This is Eastside’s second straight game scoring more than 40 points. Last week against Sandalwood, Eastside put up 43 points on the winless team. This week, the Rams continued their hot streak by scoring the most points of the season. Tambling attributes most of that to confidence.
“We’re starting to roll more because we get more confident with it,” he said. “I feel like you see that in a lot of offenses, but I think for us, it’s been especially so in the last few weeks. Coming off rival wins like our Homecoming win (against South Sumter), that’s obviously going to boost confidence.”
The Colts have lost five straight after starting the season 2-2. They play at Middleburg High School (7-2) on Friday..
The Rams have no easy task to end the regular season, as they face one of their biggest rivals — the Gainesville High School Hurricanes (2-7). Even though GHS has a losing record, Hoskins knows the importance of the game and what to expect from the Hurricanes.
“It’s a rivalry game,” he said. “I know they’re going to play a great game when they play against us. It’ll be senior night for our team. They have an opportunity to live that last moment on Citizens Field, their last game against GHS. They’ll soak in that moment and cherish it.”
That game will be at Citizens Field on Halloween. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
Note: A scheduling conflict at Citizens Field last week had the game against North Marion moved to Alachua.
Category: Eastside High School, High School Sports
