Eastside Football Set For Matchup Against Gainesville

The Eastside Rams face city rival Gainesville High at 7 p.m. Friday seeking to extend their winning streak against the Hurricanes.

The game is marked on the respective fanbases’ calendars not just because of the rivalry, but because both teams will be playing at home. How could this be?

Eastside and Gainesville don’t play on their high school campuses, but at a nearby recreational complex called Citizens Field, which hosts various sports like football, soccer and lacrosse, but it’s home to three different high school football teams in the Gainesville area: Buchholz, Eastside and Gainesville.

This game will not only test the atmosphere that Citizens Field brings, but will be the ultimate face off of the beloved home-field advantage.

“I know that their side will be packed. Our side will be packed,” Eastside coach Harold “Gator” Hoskins said. “It’s gonna be a great game. It’s gonna be a big one.”

After failing to deliver in its first three games, Eastside (1-3) got its first win last Friday at Belleview, 13-9.

“I think it’s kinda got the monkey off our back. We wanna take that momentum into this week,” Hoskins said.

Similarly, Gainesville also secured its first win last week. The Hurricanes (1-3) won 34-27 against the visiting Lecanto Panthers (1-3).

Eastside has the chance to prove itself against the Hurricanes, who it has defeated the past four meetings by a combined 176-0.

The Hurricanes’ last win in the series was 28-10 in 2021, which also marked the program’s last winning season at 8-3. GHS had defeated Eastside 14 consecutive games from 2008 through 2021.

“We’re playing against a good GHS team,” said Hoskins, whose Rams finished 9-3 last year in capturing their third district title in four seasons. “I’m just telling my guys it’s gonna be a big one. They are gonna come out and play. They haven’t beaten us in a couple years.”

The Rams have struggled offensively this season. In Eastside’s first game of the season against the Fort White Indians, its offense committed nine turnovers.

“We gave them 16 points, so the defense has been playing good. We have just been beating ourselves, especially offensively, turning the ball over,” Hoskins said.

Rams are working hard at practice to protect the ball. Eastside is also running two-minute drills during this week’s drills.

The Rams’ last game came down to the wire. They were down 9-6 at Belleview with less than two minutes left in the game. On a fourth-and-long, quarterback Andrew “Cade” Sutherland converted to lead Eastside to the game-winning touchdown.

Hoskins wants to utilize these tough situations and refine them.

“You just want to practice situational football. You never know when you are going to need it,” Hoskins said.

The Rams are preparing to bring their A game, trying not to let Eastside beat Eastside.

The message Hoskins put out for the game comes down to four principles.

“Play mistake-free football, play tough, play fast and give it everything you have.”

Category: Eastside High School, Gainesville High School, High School Sports