HIRAM, Georgia – The Eastside Eagles impressed in all aspects of the game on Friday night, recording a clear 48-21 victory over the Hiram Hornets.

Following their surprise win over district rival Newton Rams last week, the Eagles headed to the other side of Atlanta to face the Hornets.

At the end of the game, each Eagles unit – offense, defense and special teams – had contributed a touchdown to the victory.

On the first drive of the game, the Eagles relied on the running game to get into the red zone. As they reached the goal line, senior Jayden Barr was called.

Barr used the direct snap through the middle of the line for a touchdown and gave Eastside a 7-0 lead.

After a three-and-out by Hiram, it was Payton Shaw’s turn.

Shaw attempted a long shot and found junior Chase Jordan in the middle of the field. Jordan caught the ball, outran his opponent and ran down the field for a touchdown.

After Eastside scored a passing touchdown and a running touchdown, it was the Eagles defense that made the next play.

Hiram quarterback Ethan Latimore attempted to throw a pass to his wide receiver, but the pass landed in the hands of Marion Eubanks Jr., resulting in an interception for Eastside.

After a year in which Eubanks attracted attention with numerous interceptions, the senior scored his first goal in week two against the Hornets.

With the Eagles forced to punt, the Hornets won their own offense.

Latimore attempted a pass into the end zone and, along with Chris Anderson, scored a Hiram touchdown.

The Latimore-Anderson connection reduced Eastside’s lead to 13-7.

Before Eastside’s offense could return to the field and respond, the Eagles’ special teams got there first.

The Hornets’ kickoff landed in the hands of Barr, who botched the catch at first base, but the Georgia Tech player recovered the ball and ran down the sideline for a touchdown.

On the next offensive play, Eastside’s defense also wanted a touchdown.

On the very next play in the backfield after the snap, several Eagles encountered Latimore.

This led to a fumble that was recovered by senior Bailey Benson, who ran the 10 yards into the end zone for a scoop-n-score touchdown.

Benson’s goal completed the three-pointer for the Eagles.

With a lead of 34:7, Hiram managed to score points on an offensive run before halftime.

The Hornets first forced a fumble when they knocked the ball out of Tyler Solomon’s hands, and on that play, Hiram batted the ball deep into Eastside territory.

A few plays later, Kaden Hamilton feinted several Eagles for an 18-yard touchdown run that gave Eastside a 34-14 halftime lead.

After an action-packed first half, the third quarter started slowly for both teams.

After 10 minutes of a scoreless game, Shaw found Barr on a screen pass, who carried the ball for the rest of the game and scored a 44-yard touchdown – Barr’s third of the day.

Before the game could end, Barr scored four touchdowns – reminiscent of former Eastside running backs such as Kenai Grier and Dallas Johnson.

Through two games, Barr is responsible for six of Eastside’s touchdowns as the senior has done it all – running, passing, defense and kick return.

Eastside’s defense smothered Hiram in the final minutes, completing the team’s 48-21 road victory.

After closing in on 2-0, the Eagles return to Sharp Stadium next week for a chance to win the Newton Cup on Friday, August 30, when they face the Alcovy Tigers (0-2, 0-0).