GAINESVILLE A question lurked with Eastside football all season.
What happens if the Rams can play a complete game?
The talent was evident. A fast offense led by a Division I running back. A ferocious defense with no weak link.
But slow starts eluded EHS all season. Javaris Garnder made sure Friday night proved different.
He ran for 38 yards of the Rams 50 yards and an 11 yard score, and we got our answer to the question.
Eastside is pretty dang good when playing a complete game.
The Rams head-butted South Sumter in dominant fashion with a 42-14 victory over the Raiders at Citizens Field to advance to the Class 3A-Region 2 semifinals, where theyll travel to Orlando and top-seeded Bishop Moore. The Hornets crushed Hernando 61-6 Friday night.
The result, simply put, was stunning. Yes, Eastside was home and had more talent, but South Sumter had championship pedigree on its side. Plus when the two met October 10 at Citizens, it took overtime for the Rams to win 27-21.
Gator Hoskins said postgame Eastside learned in the second half that the Raiders couldnt stop Gardner. He rushed for 152 yards in that first game. He was at 64 and two touchdowns by the end of the second drive Friday night, and 94 at halftime. A long 55 yard third quarter run not only helped secure the Rams win, but it put him over 150 once again.
Hes a special kid, Hoskins said.
A sophomore already holds an offer from UNLV and former Florida football coach Dan Mullen, and senior linebacker Demarco Daniels think hes the best running back in Gainesville.
QB Nelson Tambling also showed his massive strides made this season. Tambling tallied four touchdowns two passing and two rushing. In the red zone, his 6-foot-5, 244 pound frame makes him nearly impossible to stop. Throwing, he developed a connection with Kaleb McKinnon, who caught his two touchdowns, including a phenomenal toe-tapper.
Hoskins credited the success to an increased trust, and Tambling concurred. Him and Hoskins are strong-willed people and struggled to gain simpatico. Thats gone now, and the two discuss strategy after every play.
It builds a level of trust and understanding between two guys. Us competing for who is the big guy on campus and who is the big brain of the offense, Tambling said. He trusts how Im going to run the play, and I trust him to call the play.
All in all, it led to an offense that scored on all but two drives a turnover on downs and a blocked field goal. That blocked kick, with Eastside up 21-0, was returned to Ram 30 and led to a Raider touchdown just before the half.
It looked like a momentum shift, especially with South Sumter driving to begin the second half. Hoskins challenged the defense at halftime to stop the tide, and Tramayne Montague did that with an interception to end the drive. Eastside scored to go up 28-7, and the route was back on.
In the postgame huddle and throughout the game, Hoskins remained tough on his team for a lack of discipline. To a neutral observer, it didnt look like the Rams were orchestrating by far their most impressive performance this season.
Were trying to turn boys into men. Its bigger than the game, Hoskins said. Well celebrate after the win, once the clock says 00.
The Rams coaching staff connects with players in a more effective way, and it helps the players listen to them. Hoskins attributes that to similar backgrounds. Many of his coaches went to Eastside like him and they know the difficulties kids face there.
Its relating to those guys. They know we love them, Hoskins said. They know we want to wrap our arms around them. We got their best interest at heart.
In many ways, Friday felt a coronation of the Hoskins era. The Rams won a playoff game for the third time in four years and did so with a running clock vs. a state powerhouse. Gator doesnt want to think about it that way. This is the new standard for the program, and now its time to do something legendary.
Be legendary or be forgotten, Hoskins said. Winning a playoff game isnt good enough. These guys are hungry.
The Hornets defeated the Rams 35-6 in the playoffs last season, so revenge will be on the mind next Friday in Orlando.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1. Read his coverage of the Gators national championship basketball season in CHOMP-IONS! a hardcover coffee-table collectors book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Eastside football crushes South Sumter in FHSAA Class 3A-Region 2 quarterfinals