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is amazing.”
And there had to be receiv
ers on the other end of Ivory’s
passes. Senior Kevyn Cooper
caught touchdowns from
Ivory of 69 and 82 yards.
Senior Nick Bass had a first
half touchdown grab from
starter Joe Scott, and then
made two clutch first-down
catches during the game
winning drive.
“It was a great night,” said
Ivory. “The best one we’ve
ever had.”
The best second half, any
way. The first half, one to
forget for Northside fans.
Tucker dominated just
about every aspect of the
game with the 285 yards,
256 coming from its running
game. The Tigers had 12 first
downs to four for Northside
and returned a fumble for a
touchdown.
“We just couldn’t stop
them,” said Nix. “Obviously
we couldn’t do a whole lot
moving the ball. It was just
one thing after another. But
we started over. The guys
responded, and I’m glad we
did. Everybody stepped it up
in the second half, no doubt
about it.”
If the offensive line had
a fire lit under them with
Ivory’s return, it also seemed
evident that the Eagle defense
drew inspiration from the
quarterback’s return.
The second half was more
Northside-like on the defen
sive side. The previous three
playoff games ended in shut
out wins, and Tucker didn’t
get on the board in the last
two quarters Friday. Nix said
it all about adjusting to the
“little things,” while some of
the players said it was a mat
ter of reminding everybody
what was at stake.
“At halftime, our seniors
(told us) how they didn’t like
how we played,” said junior
defensive lineman Abry
Jones. “They told us how,
if we lose this was the last
game of the season. There’s
no more football for them.
We decided we were going
to pick it up on defense and
make sure we give the seniors
the state championship they
want.”
“We made mistakes (in the
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Eddie Thomas (99) and Anton Williams tie up a Tigers runner.
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Nick Bass and Tijuan Green struggle to try and pick up a fumble.
first half), but we had to
play through them. We knew
could come out on top,” said
senior defensive tackle Eddie
Thomas. “Everybody did
their job, read our keys. It
was a great job, and I’m glad
that we won.”
Jones, Thomas, Bibbins
and even Ivory are all big
Eagles, but the game came
down to one not so big in stat
ure, that being sophomore
placekicker Devon Pike. It
was a chip-shot field goal of
23 yards that went through
with 12 seconds showing in
regulation that provided the
winning points.
Pike said his attention
wasn’t so much on his leg,
his foot or even his head as
he was waiting on both an
offsides call on Tucker and
a delay on Northside while
trying to get set for the kick.
His problem area was in his
stomach and keeping that
pregame hamburger inside.
The kick was good,
Northside was a winner,
the food didn’t make a
guest appearance, but Pike
said there were still some
knots even minutes after the
game.
“It was one of those things
that had to be done,” said
Nix. “That was great.”
Many, many more stom
achs had to be turning, both
when the Eagles were down
by so much and when the
Tucker lead began to shrink
and shrink.
“Anytime you have a come
back like that - it doesn’t
matter if it’s the first game or
last game - it’s very enlight
ening,” said Nix. “It’s just so
emotional. I’m happy to be a
part of it.”
“We put four years into
this, and we’re not about to
let it slip out of our hands
that easily,” said Bibbins.
“We were supposed to grab a
hold of these guys and not let
them go.”
Did those Eagles also hear a
certain chant going on in one
nearby section of the Dome
stands, a section close to the
end zone where Pike made
the winning field goal? That
chant was a simple number,
“96! 96!”
“We’re doing it for Chris
Johnson and for the team,”
said Thomas. “We owe it to
him because we love him so
much.”
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Defensive Coordinator Kevin Kinsier maps out adjustments for the Eagles.
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A Northside defender puts the finishing touches on a tackle.
ENI Gary Harmon
ENI Gary Harmon
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Quarterback Joe Scott eyes a receiver.
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The Eagles hold their version of a tri-meet.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2007 ♦
ENI Gary Harmon
ENI/Gary Harmon
ENI/Gary Harmon
ENI/Gary Harmon