By Travis Coleman
Contributing Writer
Twitter – @tcole2025
On Thursday night, Lake Weir (Ocala) traveled to Gainesville to take on the Eastside Rams.
In a game that many around the area felt would be a battle all night, Eastside showed they might just be a step above the competition, defeating the Hurricanes by a score of 62-27 on Homecoming. The Rams dominated the game throughout the night and made life miserable for the Hurricanes on both sides of the ball.
The Rams were led by junior quarterback and University of Florida commit Anthony Richardson. He had a phenomenal game, showing his prowess in both throwing and running the football. The end result was a total of six touchdowns, four rushing and two throwing, and a total of 398 yards, 241 through the air, and 157 on the ground. Richardson kept making play after play, and he looks like one of the most unstoppable players in the area.
Eastside was not a one man show, however. Junior running back Deion Jenkins lit up the Hurricane defense, getting chunk gain after chunk gain every time he touched the ball. He would’ve added a touchdown to his high yardage total if not for a fumble on the goal line. Other than that, and one more fumble after a big catch, he had an almost flawless game.
The Rams also had touchdowns from senior running back Darnell Greenwood, who converted off two goal-to-go carries, and junior receiver Carlton Brooks, who caught both of Richardson’s touchdown throws. Freshman running back Kendrick Wooden got some action late in the game as well and scored Eastside’s final touchdown of the night on the ground.
It was a different story for Lake Weir. Junior quarterback Deiontae Simpkins struggled throughout the night, with Eastside repeatedly bringing pressure from the right side to put Simpkins out of rhythm. He did not record a touchdown pass during the game, but did run in one of Lake Weir’s four touchdowns. Coming into the night, Simpkins had already thrown for 1020 yards and 10 touchdowns, so it was definitely a surprise to see him struggle like he did passing the ball. He also had a few big plays to senior receiver and USF commit Brian Dillard wiped out by penalty.
The rushing attack was what kept the Hurricanes in the game for most of the first half. Zian King, a senior running back, had a phenomenal game, racking up a bunch of yards to go with his three touchdown carries on the night. On one of those touchdowns, King ran over multiple Eastside defenders, proving that his size (5’7, 150 lbs) doesn’t hinder him as one of the best running backs in the area.
Both teams will play next Friday, September 28th. Eastside will be taking on a tough North Marion (Citra) team that has taken a nice step forward this year and is led by Coach Willie Offord. Lake Weir has a game against South Lake, who is led by Coach Mark Woolum.
Good luck to both teams in their games next week. Follow me on Twitter @tcole2025 for more local high school football articles .
