Northside shuts out Goldsboro

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on September 29, 2013 1:03 PM

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rhanchett@newsargus.com

There is no way to score points on a football field without possessing the ball.

Goldsboro was reminded of that fact on Friday night.

Jacksonville Northside ran nearly twice as many plays as the Cougars, controlled the time of possession and rolled to a 24-0 win at Cougar Stadium.

The Monarchs took 70 snaps on offense, compared to just 39 for the Cougars.

"(Northside) did a very good job of sustaining their drives and they kept our defense on the field," Goldsboro head coach Eric Reid said. "By the end of the game I could see that our guys on the defensive side of the ball were worn out. They had played a lot and it showed."

After a scoreless first quarter, Northside capped a long drive with a 20-yard touchdown connection from Jake Erickson to Josh Cabrera. Gage Eason hit the extra point and made the score 7-0.

Goldsboro followed with a three-and-out and the Monarchs answered with a second long drive that ended on Eason's 24-yard field goal.

The margin remained 10-0 until the intermission.

Northside (3-3 overall) ate up five minutes of play and made it a three-score game when Erickson hit Matt Pinto for an 18-yard touchdown. The Monarchs capped the scoring in the fourth quarter when Kris Curry bulled across the goal line from two yards out and turned the tally to 24-0.

Northside finished with 320 yards of total offense. Erickson completed 11 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns. Famous Roberts led Northside with 93 yards on 19 totes. Cabrera hauled in seven passes for 82 yards and one score.

Goldsboro (2-3) managed just 106 yards of total offense. Nashir Bowden completed seven passes for 54 yards. Toric Best led the Cougars with 50 yards rushing on 12 carries.

Rasheid Malette, the Cougars' top rusher, was limited to just three carries for two yards. The senior continues to rehab a sprained ankle he suffered two weeks ago.

"Rasheid warmed up and he wanted to give it a try," Reid said. "We could tell after just a few plays that he wasn't quite right and we had to make the best decision for our football team and for that young man. These games are all about getting ready for conference play in two weeks and we know that we will need (Malette) then."

Goldsboro visits Scotland County next week.