CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The second week of the 2022-23 high school football season brought a number of interesting matchups, including the Northeast Eagles hosting the Montgomery Central Indians.
Northeast stormed past Montgomery Central for a 38-7 victory on Friday. This moved the Eagles to 2-0 to start their season, as the Indians lost their first game on the year.
The final score doesn’t show how close the two sides were for the majority of the game. It wasn’t until the second half that Northeast pulled away.
The Eagles and Indians both struggled to find production during the first quarter. Northeast opened up the first drive by throwing an interception in their opponent’s territory. Montgomery Central safety Anthony Holland showed great instincts and jumped the route for the turnover.
During the following four drives, both sides showcased their ability to move the ball. However, each of their offenses stalled out, resulting in four consecutive punts.
It wasn’t until the second quarter that the Indians put together the first scoring drive. After pinning the Eagles back within their own goal line, Montgomery Central received the ball at midfield.
Second quarter
The team was able to move the ball for a couple of first downs on the drive, but an offensive holding penalty sent them back to their opponents 45 yard line. Nevertheless, MCHS running back Andrew White cut through multiple defenders on his way to a 45 yard touchdown.
After giving up the touchdown, Northeast used it as motivation for their offense. The Eagles only needed five plays to move the ball 80 yards to score 6 points.
Quarterback Jaiden Puig went 3 for 3 on the drive with 75 passing yards. Puig then capped off the drive with a 3 yard rushing touchdown on a read option. After a successful two point conversion, the game was a 8-7 ball game.
This wouldn’t be Northeast’s final score of the half either. During the following possession, Montgomery Central was able to move the ball for two first downs, but eventually turned the ball over on downs. The Eagles stopped them trying to convert on 4th and 1.
Northeast got the ball on their own 40 yard line following the stoppage. After a jet sweep play, the team was able to move the ball to the other side of the field. After a few plays the Eagles quarterback rolled outside the pocket and found his receiver open running a corner route. Once receiving the ball, the wide out was able to juke his way to the goal line where he extended to score 5 seconds before the half. The two point conversion was no good making it a 14-7 game going into halftime.
Halftime
Northeast carried their momentum they gained before the half and used it to their advantage. They controlled the game offensively, defensively and on special teams. The first possession of the second half resulted in a blocked punt after Northeast got a jump on the play.
According to Eagles head coach Claude Townsend, the team stuck with their original game plan on each side of the ball. It played in their favor, because Northeast scored 24 unanswered points stretching from the third quarter to the end of the game.
Eagles running back Khameron Athy played a key role in the team’s production in the second half. Athy’s ability to dominate on the ground is one factor that created separation in the game. The running back scored twice in the second half, which included a 37 yard rushing touchdown. Northeast had a nice balance of production with their air and ground games to finish the night out.
Another factor that played into the outcome of the game was that the Eagles defense shutting down Montgomery Central’s offense. The Indians were able to move the ball for six first downs in the first half, but failed to get one first down throughout the rest of the night.
The game concluded with the Eagles defeating the Indians by a score of 38-7. Clarksville Now got a chance to speak with Townsend following his team’s win on Friday night. The head coach remained humbled to start off his coaching career 2-0 at Northeast. He stated that the team needs to not only take it one game at a time, but one day at a time as well.