Northside cruises past Evans in region opener

WARNER ROBINS -- Northside came out firing on offense and overwhelmed Evans 38-7 on Friday in the GHSA Region 2-AAAAA opener for both programs.

It was the Eagles’ first game at McConnell-Talbert Stadium since a 30-21 win over Dalton in the second round of last year’s Class AAAAA playoffs, a span of five games. The victory extended Northside’s winning streak to 13 games.

“It’s been five games since we played here, and it’s great to be back,” Northside head coach Kevin Kinsler said. “The crowd was great as always, and it was a great atmosphere by our fans. The kids were happy to be back here. I’m not sure how good we played. We did enough to win, and we’ve still got a lot of things to do better, but it was great to be back home again.”

Quarterback Tobias Oliver threw a 54-yard touchdown to Jaylan Sandifer on the first Northside play from scrimmage to put the Eagles up 7-0 early.

After a 21-yard Justin Alonso field goal made it 10-0 at the end of a quarter, Oliver capped 14-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run over the top to make it a three-score game.

Running back Desean Dinkins scored on runs of 13 and 4 yards in the second quarter to put the Eagles up 31-0 at the half and ensure a running clock after the break.

Oliver turned in a solid performance, leading the Eagles in rushing with 95 yards on 10 carries and finishing 5-of-10 through the air for 130 yards in just one half of action.

“I thought (Oliver) really struggled in week one against North Cobb, but he really came back and rebounded well,” Kinsler said. “He made some good throws, made some good decisions and made some plays with his feet. I’m just happy for him after the rough game he had against North Cobb.”

Northside held the shutout until the third of three long heaves to the end zone found a Knights receiver with just eight seconds to play in the game.

“I thought our defense played really well most of the game,” Kinsler said. “(Evans) did a lot of things that we hadn’t seen them do. We talked to our kids about being ready for the unknown, and I thought they adjusted well and did a good job.”

Northside will go on the road next week to face Lakeside-Evans.

This story was originally published September 4, 2015 at 10:36 PM with the headline "Northside cruises past Evans in region opener ."