Providence Eagles power past Northside Methodist Academy

One week after getting shut out at Rehobeth, the Eagles exploded for 42 points in the first half en route to a 71-35 win over the Northside Methodist Knights. It was the first football matchup between the two Dothan private schools since it is NMA’s first season in the Alabama High School Athletic Association.

The Eagles tallied 644 yards on the ground, 341 yards in the first half alone.

The only two Providence drives that failed to score in the first half ended in Eagles turnovers.

After going scoreless in their first game, the Eagles wasted little time in registering their first touchdown of the season Friday. In a preview of things to come, Providence gashed the Knights’ defense with its patented run game, ripping off runs of 8, 11 and 22 yards on the opening drive.

Gus Goldsborough cashed it in on the 22-yard scamper, and Providence led 7-0 with 9:53 left in the first quarter.

After Northside Methodist’s aerial attack answered with a 37-yard bomb from Cason Eubanks to Kennard Miller, the Eagles’ ground attack struck again.

On the second play of the drive, Grant Weatherford ripped off a 49-yard touchdown jaunt. Providence led 14-6 just six minutes into the game.

From there, only two turnovers stopped the Eagle Express.

First a great blitz from the Knights forced an interception. Then a fumbled exchange killed the following Providence drive deep in Eagle territory.

The fumble allowed Northside Methodist to tie the game when Eubanks scored on a 1-yard sneak. A halfback pass from Tyler Small to Miller knotted the score at 14-all with 10:59 left in the first half.

Providence blew the game open from there, constantly pounding Northside on the ground. Quarterback Jake Smith scored on a 10-yard run, Goldsborough followed with an 8-yard scoring scamper and Christian Durden added a 1-yard plunge to hand the Eagles a 35-14 lead.

Providence tallied 230 yards rushing in the second quarter alone, capped by a 27-yard TD run from Weatherford just before the half. The Eagles led 42-20 at the half.

The Eagle ground game never relented. Goldsborough took the Eagles’ first handoff of the third quarter 60 yards for another score, and Goldsborough added a 2-yard TD rush late in the period.

Durden tacked on a 5-yard score early in the fourth quarter, and Goldsborough added a 56-yard score late in the game.

In addition to the first two scores, the Knights scored on a 19-yard run from Eubanks in the first half, a 29-yard TD pass from Eubanks to Miller in the third quarter and an 18-yard scoring rush from Small in the fourth quarter.

Goldsborough finished the night with 252 yards and four scores on 11 carries. Weatherford added 177 yards and two TDs on eight carries, while Durden tallied127 yards and two scores on 14 totes.

Eubanks passed for 254 yards on 26-of-43 passing. He had two TDs passing and one interception.