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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL «c *UL. JpL a/ -^l Devon Pike (80) is congratulated for the game-winning field goal. v .♦ ■B , SJMWjIw ’ ,^HBPn^^S HHB' H ■■pK *m&i&Bk'‘ - * gf**' <? * ? |3p * - IBjjigm * 4. W r •• .JPrfr Jr'' ’Jjfflllilr^ wn \m&k I Tftif fr ’•<»» ’ . ajaMSjgfej § » Bb| - ENI/Gary Harmon Northside Head Coach Conrad Nix is interviewed by the media. Along with him is wife, Patsy, and Ovie Johnson, father of Chris Johnson who passed away this year after losing a hard-fought battle with leukemia. The Eagles have made it no secret their season has been dedicated to Chris. The greatest comeback ever? Maybe not The greatest come back in the Georgia Dome ever in high school football? That’s what many called and are calling Northside’s rally over Tucker Friday. The greatest comeback ever? Magnificent? Yes! Spectacular? No doubt! But the greatest come back ever since the playoffs began being held in the home of the Falcons? Hmm. There are a few who’ve worn that familiar blue uniform with the big letter “N” on it that might con tend/debate that (although they’d probably rather let sleeping dogs lie). Like for instance Jason Respert, who as most know was an assistant at Northside following his graduation from the University of Tennessee and is now an assistant at Peach County. Respert was part of a 1999 class many - includ ing us at The Daily Sun - were calling the best Eagles club ever. (I think something like nine signed scholarships that year and perhaps six more the year following ... a bunch at any rate.) And they were living up to that hype in the semi finals against Lowndes, a team they had beaten the previous year in the playoffs - only to fall to a McEachern rally just shy of the Dome the week fol lowing. (Note: It was a loss they avenged by blasting the Indians 44-13 in the quarterfinals to get to the Dome to face Lowndes.) I must have searched through several hundred - literally - of my old Daily Sun’s trying to find that particular newspaper but n ■ JRI 91 Bl A couldn’t find it. Black with old printing ink? Yes. A copy of that par ti c u 1 ar issue? No. (I also didn’t Don Moncrief Journal Sports Editor have time to run over to the library to check their archives). Regardless, I’m pretty sure - almost positive - the score at the half of that Vikings game was 28-7 in favor of Northside; just like from this past weekend. And, down on the field, things pretty much looked the same, only opposite from Friday. The Eagles were simply dominating Lowndes. In fact, and I’ve said this before in at least one other column, but we were so sure it was a done deal that we were up there in the media tower at half time already planning our next week’s coverage of the finals. And then came the third quarter and all of a sudden Lowndes scored. Not that that appeared to be a problem. Twenty - eight to 14 affected little. Or, so we thought. We just kept on doing what? we were doing - mostly gush ing with pride at one of our hometown heroes (teams). And then the Vikings scored again. Still we weren’t con cerned ... just interested ... until the next score, which I believe was a field goal. (Or, it might have come before ... I’m pretty sure the field goal didn’t win it all, that a touchdown did.) Then, we were very inter- ested. What was Northside’s offense doing during this time? About the same as Tucker’s: Very little. In fact, one of the broadcast ers Friday was describing Head Coach Conrad Nix by saying something like: “He’s an older coach but he doesn’t coach like one. He’s very up on the ‘latest’ techniques.” A clue, a very, very small testament to what might have made Nix the coach he is today - in a learn from your mistakes sort of way - could have come from that game. You see the Eagles had a very good running game in ’99. Suffice it to say there was a certain amount of: You’ve got to go with what brought you to the dance. Only Lowndes, like Northside Friday had made some serious adjustments at the half. The result was the Eagles, in an apparent effort to eat up the clock, would run three straight times - the majority of those right up the gut. As successful as it had been in the first half, however, was just how unsuccessful it was in the second. They would punt. The Vikings would score. Northside’s defense wasn’t making it easy, they just weren’t expecting Lowndes to pull out a play book from Barnum and Bailey’s Circus. That isn’t to insinuate it had any thing to do with clowns - it wasn’t funny at all to tell the truth - but it was plen ty wild. Like for instance. Once they completed a pass about 10 yards out and near the sidelines. No problem the Eagles’ defender must See GREATEST, page t>B ENI/Gary Harmon aj mmMSW'i. J^P ai® 4aP»lr . li^-'^w^y^jjaJFOaPwWßS^K; V |v/ji *cr ■r- *W * W mS&& gfe:.:, / ■ it* f '*•• “*■ '' ■ I •#&"]Pfck .aWlb i .*», » :i i jHßfe# ~~* ■JOsSHr W -^M L a « M || 'a I » | ■* flp Award Winning Pit - Cooked BBQ 41% i r^~ (Competition Team - Award Winning) • Chicken • Pork • Ribs • Brisket Sandwiches, Plates, or by the Pound ► Dine In or Take Out < Tues.-Sat. 11am-Bpm Catering Available I Rubo's Plaza • Unadilla, GA (Exit 121) (478) 627-2737 i 'f * K .j.-Ht ,^. .:>■ n-||H tVK jB : 1 fc 4gfcT *«* . ’Bg * ' M ImHul rc^^MiiiMBBBHBI^MMBIB r >||^gggjgig r * ~'V'('V ■v^gvJi-s.-'-'^^Jm^ jß|||||lHH9snPr j ‘~Wr. y // ENI/Gary Harmon Nick Bass gets congratulated following a touchdown catch. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12 ♦ 7B LEFT: Nix offers the hand of sportsman ship to Tucker’s coach. BELOW: Scott and Marques Ivory celebrate. BOTTOM: Evan Arthur (86) stretches out for a ball. ENI/Gary Harmon 1 • 75mz