Eastside Survives Thriller against Palatka 28-27

The Eastside Rams advance to the second round after a scare from the Palatka Panthers 28-27.

For the second straight year, Eastside will be playing in the FHSAA 2S Regional Semifinals. Head Coach Gator Hoskins has not missed a beat in his second year at the helm.

However, he knows that next week won’t be easy. After the win, he emphasized how important the details will be.



“We made too many mistakes tonight,” he said. “The small things will get you sent home [next week].”

A Promising Start

  Eastside expected to dominate Palatka. Early on it looked like they would do just that. The Rams scored a touchdown on their first drive of the game after a two-yard run from running back Joshua Benjamin. The teams would exchange the next two possessions.



  Eastside recovered a muffed punt toward the end of the first quarter. They capitalized on the next play as Benjamin found the endzone on a 51-yard run to put the Rams up 14-0.



Panthers Fight Back

Palatka would respond with a 3-yard touchdown run from quarterback Tommy Offord. At halftime, Eastside led 14-7.



The Panthers pounced on the Rams in the third quarter scoring touchdowns on their first two drives. A 70-yard pass from Offord to tight end Trenton Williams tied the game at 14. Then, wide receiver Cartaveon Valentine gave the Panthers the lead with a 10-yard touchdown run.

An Exhilarating Finish

Eastside struggled to move the ball due to number of holding penalties in the second half. Yet, they regained life in the fourth when quarterback Adrian Curtis found wide out Daijon “Honey Mustard” Johnson for 55 yards. The play set up a 15-yard touchdown run from Benjamin to tie the game. Benjamin would finish with over a hundred yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

With just under five minutes left in the game, the score was knotted at 21. Palatka was trying to milk the clock for a game-winning drive, but an interception from defensive back Victor White gave Eastside the momentum. 

Ram fans were on their feet when Curtis found receiver Antoneo Wilson for a 40-yard touchdown pass to take a 28-21 lead with just under three minutes left in the game.

They hype was short lived. Valentine returned the ensuing kickoff to bring Palatka within one point. However, the Panthers were charged with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that caused the extra point to be pushed back 15 yards.

The Panthers elected to go for two with the ball on the 18-yard line. Their pass play fell four yards short of the goal line. Down 28-27, they needed to recover an onside kick to have a chance.

Palatka did just that on a play filled with controversy. A flag was thrown against Palatka for too many men on the field. However, the flag was waived off and the Panthers took over with two and a half minutes remaining.

This is where the Eastside defense made their final stand. They forced a turnover on downs with 30 seconds left to seal the win.

Moving On

Eastside will travel to Bradford next Friday for a rematch with the Tornadoes. Bradford won the regular season meeting 34-7. 

Last year, Bradford bounced the Rams in this round 37-0. The Tornadoes have outscored Eastside 99-7 over the last three meetings.

Bradford remains undefeated. The Tornadoes defeated Atlantic (Port Orange, Florida) 42-0 on Friday. 

The Rams will need to have a good week of practice to pull off the upset. The coaching staff is asking its players to come locked in and ready to go at practice on Monday.

“We’ve got to be disciplined and ready to go for the rest of the year,” said Eastside linebackers coach Yohance Clark.