Foster seizes moment to give Eastside first win

Scooter Foster (No. 22) rushed for 199 yards and three touchdowns in Eastside’s 28-21 victory over the Liberty Red Devils.

Scooter Foster was ready when he got the phone call.

Eastside head coach Andre Woolcock dialed up his sophomore ball carrier last Monday to give him the news. Star senior running back Kalvin Banks wouldn’t be able to play Friday night against Liberty.

It was Foster’s time to shine.

“I told Coach Woolcock that I was ready,” said Foster. “I knew I had to step up. He believed in me, and we had it planned out for the whole week.”

Foster dazzled in his debut as the starter in the backfield.

He handled every carry for the Eagles, making the most of each one. Foster finished the evening with 32 rushes for 199 yards and three touchdowns.

He led Eastside to its first victory of the season, a 28-21 win over the Red Devils at Liberty.

“That was a tough game for someone to have to carry the whole load,” said Woolcock. “But we believed in Scooter. He showed Friday that he’s more than just a number-two running back. He’s a starter in his own right.”

“The big boys up front, they were great,” said Foster. “They did their job and made it easy for me. I had a lot of great players out there blocking for me.”

Quarterback Jaden Page also played his best game of the season, completing 11-of-17 passes for 107 yards and his first touchdown pass of the year.

“It was good to see Jaden throw the ball with some confidence,” said Woolcock. “You can say ‘I’m that guy’ all you want, but to go out and show you’re that guy, that’s completely different. Jaden made the right reads and played with confidence, so I’m proud of him.”

Page’s touchdown pass went to senior tight end Baron Leonard — his first receiving score of the year. Leonard finished with 3 catches for 38 yards and a touchdown.

“People sometimes see Baron as just the guy who blocks for Kalvin or Scooter, but that’s far from the case,” said Woolcock. “Baron’s a heck of a ballplayer. He had 12 tackles on defense to go along with what he did for us on offense.”

Woolcock also praised outside linebacker Andrew Moree for his performance on Friday night. Moree finished with nine tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack.

“Andrew’s probably the most selfless kid we have in our program,” said Woolcock. “If we tell him we need him to play defensive tackle, he’ll go home and watch YouTube videos and figure out how to do it. He just plays assignment football; he does everything we ask him to do. He really stepped up for us.”

For Woolcock and his Eagles, winning Friday’s tight contest meant more than just adding to the win column for the first time.

All offseason long, Woolcock preached the importance of finishing strong and winning close games. Last season, Eastside was 0-4 in games decided by 13 points or less.

Emerging victorious in Friday’s tight affair showed the mental and physical progress Woolcock had been longing to see from his players.

“They believe we can do it now,” said Woolcock. “In the past in a close, tough game, everyone would’ve wavered. On Friday night, no one wavered. No one blinked. So we were able to come away with a victory, even without someone who many consider our best player.”

The Eagles will look to even their record next week when they welcome Blue Ridge for the school’s Homecoming game. Blue Ridge will be seeking its first win of the season after falling to cross-town rival Greer on Friday.

“We’ve just got to keep our guys focused. We have not arrived yet,” said Woolcock. “Coach Boggs is a heck of a ball coach at Blue Ridge. I’ve got a lot of respect for him. There’s no quit in that team. We’re playing a team that’s hungry, and a hungry dog is a dangerous dog.

“If we screw around and just think we’re going to show up and win, then we’re going to be heartbroken on homecoming night.”