Northside works hard for key victory over Coffee
Northside’s defense gave up more yards than it would like, but when the Eagles had to make a play Friday at McConnell-Talbert Stadium, they were able to do just that.
The result was a 17-14 Northside win over Coffee in GHSA Region 1-6A play. The second-ranked Eagles improve to 8-1 overall and 2-1 in the region, while the 10th-ranked Trojans drop to 5-3 and 1-1.
Northside finished with 234 yards rushing, including 88 from quarterback Tobias Oliver and 82 from running back Desean Dinkins. Oliver also completed 8-of-11 passes for 113 yards.
The Eagles’ defense gave up 352 yards, including 252 through the air, but Coffee missed some key opportunities. The Trojans had one field goal blocked by Tae Daley, missed another short field goal and had a deep pass intercepted at the 1-yard line.
Marcus Jolly had a 26-yard run in the first quarter to open the scoring, while Dinkins caught an 8-yard pass from Oliver in the second quarter as Northside led 14-7 at halftime. Alex Gelter added a 30-yard field goal in the third quarter that proved to be the difference in the scoring.
Three who mattered
Oliver: The Eagles’ senior quarterback had 201 yards of total offense and kept the Trojans’ defense off balance with his ball-handling in the Northside backfield.
Dinkins: The senior running back averaged 4.6 yards per carry on his 18 carries and added the key touchdown reception in the second quarter.
Max Hughes: The Trojans’ quarterback rolled up a big night passing. He completed 28-of-38 passes, including his first nine of the third quarter.
Observations
Nice answer: After Coffee tied the game at 7 in the second quarter on a 14-play drive, the Eagles responded with a quick four-play drive to regain the lead on Oliver’s touchdown pass to Dinkins.
Nice answer, II: Coffee pulled to within 17-14 on a touchdown with 8:13 to play and seemed to have some momentum. The Eagles, however, responded with a 17-play drive that nearly ran out the clock before they fumbled at the 1. Coffee got a couple of completions on its final drive but didn’t get into Northside territory to seriously threaten.
Ball control offense: Coffee uses the pass to move the ball up and down the field, but it’s mostly a short passing game. Hughes did have one 33-yard completion, but the rest of the throws were short, although accurate. The Trojans ran 74 plays to 57 for Northside.
Worth mentioning
Still perfect: Northside improves to 4-0 all time against Coffee, previously beating the Trojans in 2001, 2008 and 2009.
They said it
Northside kead coach Kevin Kinsler: “It’s a typical game in this region. I’m very thankful for the win. It was an ugly win, but it was a win. We made too many mistakes, putting ourselves behind the sticks. We were just a step slow.”
Kinsler on the Coffee offense: “I give Coffee credit. I know that their running back and quarterback were great competitors, and they showed it (Friday). I’m proud of the way our kids just kept battling, kept battling and kept them out of the end zone.”
Northside senior linebacker Kam Burnett on the win: “We kept them out (of the end zone). We only allowed 14 points. We played good, we played real good. We needed this win right here.”
Northside senior defensive back Tae Daley: “They were the best offense we’ve seen. We gave up two touchdowns. We usually shut the run down, but they made a couple of big plays. We just stayed focused and read our keys, went back to the sideline, got coached up and just kept doing what we had to do.”
What’s next?
Northside travels to Houston County on Friday.
This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 10:49 PM with the headline "Northside works hard for key victory over Coffee."