COVINGTON, Ga. — A revenge-minded Newton upended Eastside 39-24 in a see-saw battle Friday night to kickoff the 2025 high school football season in style.
Arguably the biggest high school football rivalry in East Metro Atlanta, the series has been nothing short of competitive in its history, and Friday night’s contest was no different.
The winner has won every single Newton Cup since its re-inception in 2018. But for Newton, this game was about revenge from last season’s 25-15 loss. For Eastside, it was looking to do what hasn’t been done since 2008 — beat Newton in back-to-back seasons.
After a short lightning delay, the game kicked off, with both teams doing what they have historically done, trading blows in a hard fought, physical contest.
After a quick three-and-out by Eastside to start the game, the Rams began methodically marching down the field on the back of a strong rushing attack led by 3-star running back prospect Kevin Hartsfield.
A third down penalty by the Eagles proved costly as Hartsfield would find the end zone just a few plays later from 25 yards out, allowing the Rams to strike first.
The game became a defensive slugfest with the three ensuing Eastside offensive drives for ending in two turnover-on-downs and a missed field goal attempt.
Newton would capitalize on these Eagles miscues, marching down the field in just under a minute before quarterback Deron Benson would find Jaqwan Carr in stride for a 22-yard touchdown pass. The following two point conversation attempt failed, bringing the score to 13-0 as the teams headed into their locker rooms.
Coming out of the break, momentum quickly shifted to Eastside’s favor. Two three-and-outs from Newton led to back-to-back scoring drives for Eastside — the first being a 17-yard strike from Payton Shaw to Garrett Brooks followed by a 12-yard touchdown run by Myles Mims.
The sudden momentum swing despite an early 13-point lead didn’t take Newton coach Josh Skelton by surprise.
“We know this game is always going to be tough,” said Skelton. “They (Eastside) pushed us to our limit. But our guys overcame some adversity. We showed our depth, but we became a product of just playing the next play.”
The very next play was indeed the perfect response.
After Eastside took the lead, Newton would drive 80 yards in under two minutes on nine plays, capping it off with a 19-yard rushing score from Darius White.
In typical series fashion, a true tit-for-tat battle ensued.
The Eagles, starting from their own 3-yard line, marched quickly down the field and were in prime position to answer, but settled for a field goal, making it 20-17 early in the 4th quarter.
As heavy as the Rams leaned on the run Friday night, it was a one-play, 80-yard touchdown dart from Deron Benson to Derrick Miller that put the Rams up by nine after a missed PAT.
In opposite fashion of the quick strike, Eastside responded with a methodical 11-play, 76-yard drive of their own, capped off by a 2-yard touchdown rush from Mims, bringing the Eagles within 2.
It would be their last score of the game, as Newton would control the ball and the clock, leaning once again on its explosive rushing attack to capitalize on two scores.
The first was a 31 yard rush from Kaden Hambright who became the third different Newton running back to score on the night, followed by a four-yard rush from White — his second of the night — to provide the final margin.
Skelton noted that while the depth-filled running back room certainly paved the way for a week one victory, he believes they are just getting started.
“Our running back room is really good,” he acknowledged. “I thought Hambright’s run in the second half really shifted the tone and changed the game. They have good chemistry, but I don’t think we are even near our prime with those guys in the backfield. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what we are going to be moving forward.”
It’s the sixth win in the last seven matchups for the Rams, but regardless of the frequency, Skelton says he also knows just how important these cross-county rival games are for setting a season’s tone.
“It’s always good to get a win,” he said. “More importantly our staff is going to walk away knowing what we have to work on, but we fought a hard fight against a great opponent in Eastside.
“We can hang our hat on this win,” he continued. “A win is a win, and we can always look to tomorrow for corrections, but it always feels a lot better doing so with a win.”
The in-county vibes continue for Newton next Friday with the Rams taking on Alcovy at 7:30 p.m. Alcovy (0-1) fell 35-19 to Arabia Mountain in its season opener Thursday. Meanwhile, Eastside will host Hiram (1-0) at Sharp Stadium Thursday.
Eastside improves to 4-0 after win vs. Class 6A Archer
By Evan Washington
COVINGTON, Ga. — The Eastside Eagles get their fourth win on the season Friday night after beating the Archer Tigers (0-4) 34-16 at Sharp Stadium in Covington.
Junior Quarterback Brian Threw for over 100 yards and chipped in two passing touchdowns, while Georgia Tech running back commit Jayden Barr rushed for over 100 yards and two scores on the night.
Eastside improves to 4-0 for the first time since 2018 when that squad became the first Newton County GHSA playing football team secure an undefeated regular season.
The Eagles will enjoy a bye week before hosting Flowery Branch on Friday Sept. 20 in both teams’ Region 8-AAAA opener.
For more coverage, information regarding this match will be provided throughout this weekend.
