Eagles down Devildogs in defensive battle, 21-15

Baron Leonard sacks the Devildog quarterback during the third quarter of Eastside’s 21-15 win over Travelers Rest on Friday night. Leonard starred on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball in the Eagle victory.

Coming into Friday night’s game against Travelers Rest, the Eastside defense was allowing a less-than-ideal 41 points per game to opponents. An admittedly defensive-minded head coach, Eastside’s Andre Woolcock knew something needed to change.

“People talk, that’s the reality. And we’ve heard a lot of negative comments about our defense,” said Woolcock. “Some of the guys on that side of the ball took it personally and felt like they were being disrespected.”

The Eagles responded to the disrespect with their best defensive performance of the season. Seven sacks, two timely interceptions, and several crucial fourth-down stands led Eastside to a 21-15 win.

“It’s all the players. They just decided they weren’t going to let teams beat us on defense like that anymore,” said Woolcock. “Those guys decided to show up and make some big plays.”

It wasn’t the prettiest game, but as Woolcock told his players after the game, “a win is a win.”

The win — the team’s third straight — brought Eastside to 3-2 halfway through the 2023 campaign. It’s the first time since 2019 that the Eagles have maintained a winning record at any point throughout a season.

“Winning makes Saturday morning coffee taste a lot better, I’ll say that much,” said Woolcock. “I’m just happy for the guys that have stuck with us over the years. I’m really proud of the work everyone on this team has put in.”

BARON’S BIG DAY

The Eagles got off to a fast start in the first quarter. Quarterback Jaden Page found receiver Fin Hyde streaking down the left sideline for a 75-yard touchdown to put Eastside up 7-0 early. After forcing a Devildog three-and-out, tight end Baron Leonard carried in a sneak to give the Eagles a two-touchdown lead at the start of the second quarter.

“Anytime you can get the ball in Baron’s hands, we feel confident,” said Woolcock. “So we’ve found some creative ways to get him the ball.”

“I just do what I can to help the team,” said Leonard after the game. “It’s not about me. However they want to use me, I just want to do my best to help the team win.”

At several key points in the game, Eastside got Leonard involved in a unique way. On fourth-and-short situations, Leonard would start in motion. The 6-foot, 215-pound tight end would then quickly run up under center and take the snap. He’d use his strong frame to dive behind his offensive line and push forward for the yardage needed.

“That’s something that started last year against Blue Ridge,” said Leonard. “I actually scored my first touchdown running that play. Whenever we need something short, they know I’ve got it.”

Eastside ran “that play” three times in the game. Each time, Leonard picked up the yardage needed. One of those runs ended in a touchdown. Another resulted in the game-winning first-down conversion with less than a minute to go.

Leonard finished with three rushes for six yards. But those were six of the most important yards in the game.

“Baron just knows what it takes to win,” said Woolcock. “He knows what goes into a victory.”

Leonard, who plays linebacker as well, also starred on the opposite side of the ball. He finished with seven tackles (tied for team-high), three tackles-for-loss, and a sack.

“He does it all. He even gets upset sometimes when we try to take him out of the game,” said Woolcock. “He’s always telling us ‘I need to be on the field. It’s too big a moment for me not to be on the field.’ He’s the kind of kid who does any and everything to ensure the success of the program.

“Kids like that don’t come around often.”

GAME-SAVING SACK

With two minutes left in the game and Eastside clinging to a 21-15 lead, Travelers Rest faced a fourth-and-10 from their own side of the field.

One play. One defensive stand. That was all the Eagles needed to get the ball back and see the game through.

Woolcock called the Eagles’ final timeout to talk to his team.

“We make a play here, and the game’s over. That’s what I told them,” said Woolcock. “[Defensive coordinator Andrew] Ford dialed up a perfect play for us.”

The Eagles sent an all-out blitz at the Devildogs. Defensive end Quay Dodd swam around a Devildog offensive tackle and got to the quarterback before he could even go through his reads. Dodd slung him to the ground to effectively clinch the game, sending the Eagles’ home crowd into a frenzy.

“Before the play even happened, Coach [Woolcock] told us this was the moment, this was going to be the biggest play,” said Dodd. “I just had a feeling that I was going to make the play. I knew I was going to execute the plan.”

“Quay just made a play. He’s been making plays all year for us, but to step up on a big stage in a big moment like that, it was huge for us,” said Woolcock. “I was probably jumping up and down on the sidelines because it was such a big-time play for us.”

Dodd — who finished the game with four pressures, two tackles, and a sack — was in the Devildog backfield nonstop. The entire Eagle defensive line pitched a tent there, racking up seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss.

“We were focused through practice this week,” said Dodd. “We knew what we were going into before it even happened.

“We lost this game to [Travelers Rest] last year, and that basically threw our whole season off. So we knew we had to capitalize. We had to win.”

UP NEXT

Eastside will get a bye week before hitting the road on Friday, Sept. 29 to face Emerald in Greenwood.

Woolcock said he wants to focus on getting everyone fully healed up and ready to go after five tough weeks of play.

“We’ve got to get healthy,” he said. When guys play hard, you get banged up a little bit. So we just want to focus on Eastside and on getting healthy. And then we’ll go from there.”

SCORING BY QUARTER

TR 0 8 0 7 - 15
Eastside 7 7 7 0 - 21

EASTSIDE STAT LEADERS

Passing: Page 5-12, 118 yards, TD

Rushing: Banks 24 rushes, 91 yds, TD | Page 5 rushes, 28 yds | Leonard 3 rushes 6 yds, TD

Receiving: Hyde 2 rec, 77 yds, TD | Leonard 3 rec, 41 yds

Defense: Leonard 7 tackles, 3 TFLs, 1 QB Pressure, 1 sack | Workman: 7 tackles, 5 assists, 1 TFL | Schrader 2 solo, 4 assists, 1 INT, 1 PBU | Dodd 4 pressures, 2 tackles, 1 sack | Burnette: 3 solo, 5 assists, 1 INT