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Whenever P.K. Yonge needed a big play, Aaron Small Jr. was there every time to answer the bell.
Eastside’s defense had no answer for the 6’2″ junior quarterback, who made a huge impact both on the ground and through the air.
After an overtime heartbreaker vs. Trenton last week, the Blue Wave bounced back in a big way, winning their first game of the 2020 season 44-21 against the visiting Eastside High Rams in Eastside’s first game of the season Friday night.
Small A Legitimate Dual Threat
Small got the scoring going early in the first with an eight yard rushing touchdown. He would score two more rushing TD’s before halftime for P.K. Yonge.
Eastside seemed to be hanging on for a while, as the score read 27-21 at the end of the third quarter. Two more Small touchdowns–both passes to Cameron Pedro and Yarnell McCray, respectively–would quickly silence the Rams en route to 17 unanswered points from PKY to round out the game.
Blue Wave coach coach Marcus McDonald said this about his star player.
“…He’s a guy that you can always count on to put the ball in his hands and to get the ball to the right people. He’s a humble, hard working, competitive kid. And just I just love it.”
A safety from the Blue Wave defense and a third quarter rush from Torey Cobb rounded out their major scoring.
Loaded Backfield Proves To Be Effective
The Blue Wave had a variety of ball carriers in their rushing game, where they gained most of their ground offensively. Phillip Miller, Adrian Curtis, Taylor Kendrick, Isaiah Wilcox, and KJ Wooden all lined up in the backfield and made significant gains.
Blue Wave Overcome Mishaps
PKY won the game in emphatic fashion despite errors along the way. The Blue Wave overcame 15 penalty flags and four fumbles (2 of which were turnovers). And two potential touchdowns were also called back due to a block in the back and a hold call, respectively.
McDonald called his team’s play “sloppy” and said they would be working on it this coming week during practice.
Looking Ahead
Next week, they’ll get a visit from 3A Region 1 opponent Florida State University High School and look to turn their momentum into a winning streak.
Eastside will hope to earn their first win of the season next Friday versus Menedez out of St. Augustine in a 5A District 5 tilt.
BOX SCORE
Eastside 0 7 14 0 | 21
P.K. Yonge 7 10 10 17 | 44
Keishla Espinal also contributed to this story.
