GAINESVILLE — Austin Parker threw for a pair of touchdowns and Markese Jackson scored twice to lead East Hall to a 24-7 win over West Hall Friday in a key Region 7-AAA matchup at East Hall Stadium.
The Vikings (2-4, 2-1 Region 7-AAA) stayed in the playoff race with the victory while the loss was the fourth straight for the Spartans (2-4, 0-2) and puts them on the brink of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
East Hall coach Bryan Gray said they are starting to see some fruit for their early-season labor.
"We've been plugging and pluggin," Gray said. "We play a hard schedule for a reason so they'd be ready when it comes to region. We couldn't close it out last week but we closed it out this week and I'm proud."
Parker got things started for East Hall in the first quarter capping an 85-yard drive with a 21-yard strike to Jackson for a 7-0 lead. It stayed that way until the second quarter.
West Hall tied the game with a 53-yard touchdown run by Tyquan Statham midway through the second quarter. The Vikings answered back when Parker connected with Tripp Rider on a 15-yard scoring pass to cap 73-yard drive to take a 14-7 lead into halftime.
The Vikings put the game away in the second half when Jackson scored on a 1-yard touchdown run and Leo Toledo added a field goal for the final score.
"Our defensive line just played lights out and I could not be prouder of all those freshmen, sophomores, and juniors," Gray said. "They just played their heart out."
East Hall will jump out of region play next week taking on Johnson. West Hall will play host to Franklin County trying to keep its season alive.
