Gainesville High blanks Eastside 49-0

The Gainesville Hurricanes (1-1) blew out the Eastside Rams (0-2) with a 49-0 win on Friday night at Citizens Field.

It’s a satisfying win for Gainesville head coach Mark Latsko; his team is a week removed from suffering a heartbreaking one-point overtime loss to Columbia.

“We were a little down after the loss (to Columbia) but then we got to prepare for in-city rival Eastside so the kids got up for it and they played their hearts out tonight,” said Latsko.

Gainesville quarterback Caelan Christian threw for 263 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 40 yards as well.

“Caelan’s just maturing nicely,” said Latsko. “He’s a junior, he’s been a starting quarterback now for a full season and a couple of games. So he’s continuing to mature and play better each game.”

From here, the Hurricanes will travel to Madison County (2-0) next week in Week 3.

“They’re a tough, hard-nosed football team,” Latsko said. “Coach Coe (Madison County head coach) does a great job and we’re gonna have our hands full with a very talented Madison County football team.”

Gainesville High head coach Mark Latsko is proud that his guys bounced back from their season-opening loss.