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♦ TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2006
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ENI/Gary Harmon
North side defenders bring down a Marist player during the Eagles’ state championship
victory Friday night at McConnell-Talbert Stadium in Warner Robins.
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Northside warms up before the game.
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Northside defenders stack up a Marist player.
TIME
From page iB
“I’m just thankful to be a
part of (the championship).
God has blessed us with
great young men and a great
leader in coach Nix. I’m just
humble to be a part of it.”
“They are proud to be a
Northside Eagle,” said Nix
about all of his former play
ers.
“They are proud of this
group. Everybody’s a part
of it. That’s the thing about
the Northside family. There
are a lot of other guys who
contributed to it.”
“I hope there’s many more
to come,” said Jordan.
■
When spring practice,
voluntary summer work
outs and finally fall prac
tice all started and ended,
perhaps nobody outside of
the Northside campus knew
whom Tijuan Green was.
Well, 1,614 rushing yards,
174 receiving yards and 23
total touchdowns later, sev
eral people will be talking
about him through next
spring and summer. Green
added three touchdowns,
including a 29-yard catch
from quarterback Marques
Ivory, to his amazing post
season against Marist.
“I think Tijuan had over
1,000 yards in the last four
games,” said Stewart. “The
line did a great job for him.
The good thing about the
line is we are only losing two
(seniors). We’ll have a lot of
people back.”
“He’s just now starting
to figure things out,” said
Respert, who is the running
backs coach, about Green.
“He’s only been a running
back less than six months.
He’s got a lot of improve
ment he can do. As great a
running back as he is right
now, he can be much, much
better.”
There was an endorsement
for Green for any kind of
Most Valuable Player award
in the championship game,
but also one for the likes
of Robert Crawford, Will
Zunino, Jordan Dooley, Brett
Moore and others who make
up that Northside offensive
front.
“They played great. They
controlled the game,” said
Respert, once an offensive
lineman on how the Eagle
line played against Marist.
“I thought if we were to give
a game ball out, it would
have go to the offensive line
or Tijuan. They did an out
standing job controlling the
line of scrimmage, opening
holes when we needed holes
and protecting the quar
terback when we needed to
throw it.”
Northside sneaked into
halftime with a 9-6 lead
after losing a fumble and
throwing an interception in
the end zone. Marist had a
6-3 lead until Ivory threw
a 35-yard touchdown pass
to Nick Bass in the second
quarter. It was all Eagles
afterwards thanks in part,
Nix said, to no turnovers in
the second half.
“They turned the ball over
to us,” he said. “That’s the
way we were able to main
tain drives and score points.
We had the ball more as a
result of their turnovers.”
■
One week after having
some difficulties containing
the option offense of St. Pius
X in a 20-17 semifinal win
SPORTS
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Northside quarterback Marques Ivory tries to break away from a Marist defender.
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Northside cheerleaders perform during the game.
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ENI/Gary Harmon
Northside marches onto the field.
at the Georgia Dome, the
Northside defense had no
problems shutting down a
similar attack run by Marist.
The Eagles faced about 24
option dives and quarter
back keepers and stuffed
most of them on the line of
scrimmage.
Only one time did Marist
break a big gain, and that
was on a reverse in the first
quarter.
But even then Marist had
to settle for a 43-yard field
goal. Marist had three field
goal tries in the first half,
making two, but no touch
downs.
“We prepared hard,” said
Nix. “We worked hard to get
it done. I’m certainly proud
of what the defense did. We
turned it over in the first
half, but settled down and
did some good things.”
Watching from the side
lines, maybe it looked a bit
easy for the Eagle defense.
But what about the perspec
tive from the field?
“It’s always easy when
you take care of your job,”
said Jordan, who recovered
two fumbles in the second
half. “Everybody has a job
to do. Coaches always tell us
if everybody does their job,
everything goes down pretty
easy.”
■
Let us not forget the
ultimate inspiration for
Northside football the
last two years. Before the
2005 season began, Chris
Johnson, who at the time
was about to start his sopho
more year, was diagnosed
with leukemia. Otherwise,
he might have been among
those causing chaos on the
Eagle defense from an end
position.
“We made it real easy,”
said Johnson about how
his defensive teammates
played. “I’m not complain
ing. I thought it was going
to be a closer game at the
beginning, but we pulled it
out in the end. We did what
we had to do. We finally got
us one.”
Johnson has found the
strength to be there on the
sidelines for several games,
like the semifinal game at
the Georgia Dome in Atlanta
and, of course, at McConnell-
Talbert for the state champi
onship.
THE HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
“I’m proud of everybody,”
said Johnson. “I didn’t get
to play this year, but I’m just
happy for everybody on my
team, coaches, everybody
who supported me out here.
It’s a great feeling.
“I went last year to the
state (championship game
in Statesboro) when we got
beat, but this year we got it
done.”
And the efforts by the
Northside community con
tinue to help the Johnson
family through Chris’ con
tinuing battle with leuke
mia,
Several of the spectators
wore shirts bearing No. 96,
which is still recognized as
Chris’ number on the Eagle
roster and also a part of the
team’s helmets.
Also, the “Quarters for
Chris” bucket campaign
ran from opening day in
September to this last home
game as a way to raise finan
cial support.
“It’s a blessing,” he said.
“They don’t have to be doing
it. They’re helping me out
with my medical bills. It’s
a blessing. It’s all God’s
work.”