Rare Sight: Eastside Football Off to 0-2 Start
Most of Eastside’s production started before the whistle even blew.
Three young boys on the sideline, sweat speckling on their foreheads and knees smudged with soil and grass, played their best ball in front of a high school football team that couldn’t make it click on Thursday night.
Coming off a disappointing 28-13 loss at Fort White last Friday, the Eastside Rams attempted to bulldoze the Ocala Forest Wildcats in a rowdy Citizens Field showdown. Instead, the Wildcats took the Rams by the horns, 39-15.
“We’ve got to play better football,” Eastside coach Harold “Gator” Hoskins said. “I’m not here to make excuses.”
Within the game’s first five minutes, Forest (2-0) scored a touchdown on a 93-yard interception return by safety Christian Neal.
The energy only grew for the Wildcats, who secured another six points for a 13-0 lead out of the first quarter. Part of that Eastside shutout was due to the struggles of quarterback Andrew Sutherland.
“Starting the game off with a pick-6,” Hoskins said. “Can’t have it.”
In an effort to keep pace with Forest, Eastside’s Jayce Starke took a sweep 55 yards for a touchdown that cut the deficit to 19-7 in the second quarter.
The effort proved futile, with Forest answering with yet another touchdown to end the first half up 26-9.
The Rams (0-2) struggled to get much going in the first half while digging themselves into a 17-point rut. The trench was defined by a lackluster offense that failed to produce points in the first quarter.
Eastside did pick up two points when it was awarded a safety with less than two minutes left in the first half after a botched snap by Forest’s special teams unit.
“We gotta come out, play harder, play faster,” senior Braeden Brockingtom said of Hoskins’ message at the break. “We’re not down by a lot. We’re gonna come back.”
Ram coaches were quick to create a catalyst for change for the final two quarters. Junior KJ Woodard replaced Sutherland at QB.
The change, however, didn’t manifest into much on the scoreboard.
Woodard and the Rams’ performance in the second half was a rerun of the first. Forest managed to stretch the lead to 39-9 before Eastside could muster anything on offense.
Sutherland’s appearance wasn’t over, though, coming back for Eastside’s final two drives of the game. He handed off to Starke, who again scored, this one from six yards out to settle the final margin.
Eastside is off to its worst start in five years after four straight playoff appearances under Hoskins.
“As a man, we’ve all been knocked down before – how do you respond? Being 0-2, if you’re going to quit right now, that just defines who you are as a man,” Hoskins said. “Let’s just keep fighting right here.
”The Rams offense made things difficult for their defense to overcome by committing five turnovers: two interceptions, two fumbles and a blocked punt.
Eastside looks to avoid a 0-3 start when it plays Buchholz at 7:30 p.m. next Friday.
Category: Eastside High School, High School Sports
