COVINGTON, Ga — The Eastside Eagles got their hands back on the Newton Cup Friday night as they defeated the Alcovy Tigers 54-9 to claim the trophy at Sharp Stadium for the first time since 2018-19.

That’s not all though, as the 2018-19 season was the last time the Eagles started the season 3-0.

Things started fast on offense for the Eagles, as three of the team’s first four offensive plays resulted in a touchdown.

Junior running back Tyler Solomon got the scoring started for the Eagles as he found the end zone from two yards out to start the night. The score was set up by a big run from Georgia Tech commit Jayden Barr.

But, Myles Mims was the star in the Eastside backfield as he found the end zone twice. Mims rushed it in from 44 yards and eight yards to cap off a great night.

Following a night in which multiple players came away with scores, Cawthon shared his thoughts on his running backs and how the defense set them up.

“We have a talented running back room, where all three of our backs can shine,” Cawthon said. “I felt like our offensive line did what they were supposed to do to allow them guys to do their damage in the run game.”

Eastside had the perfect balance on offense as four different Eagles scored touchdowns in the first half.  The offense was led by junior quarterback Payton Shaw, who finished the opening half with two touchdown passes. 

The Alcovy offense could not get anything going as they committed three turnovers.

Along with a pair of fumble recoveries, the Eagles defense on the night was highlighted by a pick-six by senior defensive back Michael Kenon to help extend the lead.

Tennessee commit Christian Gass and junior defensive lineman Xavier Joseph were on the receiving end of the Tigers’ two fumbles.

The energy and willingness to be on the field is something Cawthon picked up about his defense prior to kickoff.

“Usually we take the ball to begin the game but our defense as a whole was juiced and they wanted to set the tone early,” Cawthon said.

The win moves Eastside to 3-0 on the seasons they look to continue their success through its non-region slate.

The Eagles (3-0, 0-0 Region 8-AAAA)  will face off in their last non-region matchup against the Archer Tigers at Sharp Stadium next Friday. The game will begin at 7:30 p.m. 

For Alcovy, the loss drops it to 0-3 on the season as the Tigers still look to capture momentum on the year.

The Tigers (0-3, 0-0 Region 8-AAAAA) will travel to Rockdale County to take on the Rockdale County Bulldogs next Friday, Sept 6 at 7:30 p.m.