RABBITTOWN, Ga. – East Jackson's Drew Richardson had himself a night.
The senior quarterback combined for almost 500 total yards of offense and five touchdowns to help lead the Eagles (5-0) past East Hall, 52-38, Friday night at East Hall Stadium.
To be exact, Richardson was 15-of-20 for 362 yards and two TDs and rushed 15 times for 214 yards and two TDs, one of those touchdowns proved to be a dagger, an 84-yard scoring rush with 6:21 to go for a 52-38 lead.
East Hall's storyline: turnovers and special teams.
The Vikings (2-3) missed two extra points, failed to convert two two-point tries, punting was nothing to write home about, and they lost a fumble in the endzone that the Eagles pounced on for a touchdown in the second half.
But through all that, the Vikings opened the game on fire, scoring two quick touchdowns to take a 12-0 lead. They actually led 18-7 with just over seven minutes left in the first half.
That's when the offensive shootout began.
East Jackson struck first, thanks to a 29-yard rushing score from Richardson with 6:38 to go. The two-point try was successful, closing East Hall's lead to a field goal, 18-15.
The Vikings, however, fired right back on the next drive. Jamarcus Harrison, who finished 15-of-29 for 317 yards passing and four TDs and rushed for another 131 yards on 31 carries and a score, ripped off a 72-yard run with 5:52 to go to extend the lead, 24-15.
East Jackson said what you can do, I can do better on the next series, driving 70 yards, capped with a 10-yard pass from Richardson to Brady Saunders with 3:10 to go, closing the gap, 24-22.
Then it got ugly for both sides in the final three minutes.
Here's how it ended, cliff notes version: East Hall forced a fumble and recovered deep in its territory, but could not move the ball. East Jackson's defense sacked Harrison on the 3-yard line, forcing the Vikings to punt the ball from the back of the endzone. That punt flew 28 yards to the 32, giving East Jackson prime field position.
East Hall's Kani Williams got in on the action, intercepting Richardson on the first play with less than 1:40 to go. But the Vikings couldn't move the ball again and were forced to punt, and it didn't go very far.
The Eagles had the ball at the Vikings' 39-yard line with a chance to take their first lead of the game. Richardson went to work, completing a 36-yard pass to Branturan Callahan to the Vikings' three-yard line. The next play, Richardson found Callahan for the 3-yard TD and the lead, 29-24, with four seconds left in the half.
The touchdown gave the Eagles the lead for good. Although the two teams traded scores through the first nine minutes of the third quarter, the Eagles extended their lead, 45-31, the largest of the game, on a 22-yard pass from Richardson to Denim Cooper with 1:27 to go.
East Hall had opportunities after the Eagles went up two scores. On the next drive, after Harrison sprinted 67 yards to the East Jackson 9-yard line, the Vikings couldn't convert, turning the ball over on downs. On the ensuing drive, the East Hall defense forced the Eagles to punt. This time, the Vikings found the endzone on a 9-yard run by Harrison, cutting the lead to one score, 45-38.
Even after Richardson's 84-yard touchdown run, the Vikings still had chances, driving the ball down to the East Jackson 14-yard line to only turn it over on downs.
GAME NOTES: EAST HALL – Chasen Jones hauled in five passes for 109 yards and a TD. Germany Jones had one catch for 72 yards and a TD. Lukas Pruitt finished with 69 yards on 21 carries. EAST JACKSON – Callahan had 156 yards on seven catches and two TDs. Cooper caught five passes for 74 yards and a TD.
