Eastside Football Loses Fourth Straight
The Eastside Rams’ nightmare season continued at Citizens Field on Thursday night when they fell to 1-7 after a 44-14 beatdown at the hands of the Sante Fe Raiders in the rain.
Eastside quarterback Cade Sutherland struggled while accounting for zero touchdowns and getting benched in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Santa Fe quarterback Gavin Peterson had three touchdowns in an impressive showing.
The game started slow, with the teams trading punts for most of the first quarter before Santa Fe (6-1) broke through on its third drive. Raiders running back Jasiah Powell punched it in from the 1-yard line to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead with 21.8 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Eastside threw three consecutive incomplete passes on its following drive in taking 15 seconds off the clock before punting.
Santa Fe looked primed to extend its lead on the ensuing drive. Peterson hit running back Jadathun Bryant over the middle of the field for a splash gain before senior two-way star Braeden Brockington forced and recovered a fumble on the tackle.
The Rams offense wasted no time after the sudden change by marching from their own 14-yard line for a touchdown, with Brockington punching it in from 9 yards out with 7:43 remaining in the first half to even the score at 7-7.
Santa Fe bounced back with a pair of scores to take a 21-7 lead with 1:24 to go in the half.
The Rams responded with a 55-yard touchdown rush by Brockington to reach a halftime score of 21-14.
Despite the late first-half score, Eastside could not conjure any momentum in the second half. The Rams were held scoreless while the Raiders ran up their total by scoring three touchdowns and sacking Sutherland for a safety.
Santa Fe ran the clock out to cruise to the win behind a strong day on the ground. Powell and Peterson each ran for two scores, and Bryant ended with one rushing and one receiving.
Junior KJ Woodard replaced Sutherland at quarterback for Eastside’s final two drives. Woodard did not complete a pass.
“I think it’s always a battle for every position,” Rams coach Harold “Gator” Hoskins said of a QB duel. “I think for both of them they have their pros and cons. I think right now Cade is in the lead and that’s only because of the knowledge and experience he has.”
Brockington was a Rams’ bright spot after finding the end zone twice and creating a turnover.
“He played pretty decent tonight, I think for him it’s a mentality. If he can get a mentality that ‘I’m the best, fastest, biggest person on the field,’ I think he can be a really special running back,” Hoskins said.
The Rams have not lost seven or more games since 2021. This season is their first losing campaign in Hoskins’ tenure.
Eastside now has an open week and will return to action Oct. 23 at Citra North Marion (0-7).
Category: Eastside High School, High School Sports, Santa Fe High School
