By Kyle Dean
kyle.dean@gaflnews.com
WARNER ROBINS -- Northside High converted eight third down conversions, and Xavier Bacon scored three rushing touchdowns to defeat the Tift County Blue Devils at McConnell-Talbert Stadium, 30-14 Thursday night.
Northside's defense held Tift to 13 yards rushing for the game, and picked off Malcom Dixon three times in the contest.
Northside took their opening possession right down the field, marching 55 yards on five plays. Bacon scored a 15-yard touchdown run and the Eagles led by a 7-0 score with 6:53 left in the first quarter.
Tift could manage very little offense on the tough Eagle defense.
"We knew that they were good up front," Tift head coach Jay Walls said.
"So we tried to open up the passing game."
Northside took advantage of the first interception late in the half.
After a Bacon touchdown put the Eagles up by two touchdowns, and Devon Pike kicked a 31-yard field goal with a minute left in the half, K.J. Morton picked off a Dixon pass and returned it down to the Tift 14-yard line. Tift was flagged for a late hit that moved the ball down to the seven yard line.
Luckily for Tift, they were able to hold Northside out of the endzone, and Pike kicked a 21 yard field goal with only two ticks left on the first half clock.
In their opening drive of the second half, Northside was able to move down the field again. Bacon rushed for 26 yards on the drive, and Pike added another field goal -- from 33 yards out -- to give Northside a 23-0 lead with 8:23 remaining in the third quarter.
The Blue Devils finally broke through in the fourth quarter. Dixon was able to overcome two sacks by the Northside defense, and completed four passes on the touchdown drive that ended when Dixon hooked up with Deon Jackson on a 6-yard pass. Jordan West added the PAT, but Tift still trailed 23-7 with 8:43 left in the contest.
The Eagles and head coach Conrad Nix did not just run the clock out though.
Joe Scott connected with Allen Davis on a 44 yard completion down to the Tift 3 yard line, where Bacon scored his third touchdown of the night on the next play.
Tift got a score late in the game when Dixon ran in from seven yards out to pull the Devils to within a 30-14 deficit.
Scott was 8-for-18 for 136 yards on the night, while Bacon rushed for 60 yards on 20 carries.
Dixon was 13-of-27 for 158 yards on the night. He was sacked six times in the game by the Eagles.
Northside moves to 4-1 in region play and 7-1 overall, while Tift falls to 3-2 in region 1-AAAAA play, and 5-3 overall.
Tift will be back in action on Halloween night, when the Valdosta Wildcats come to Brodie Field in a key region matchup.
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Blue Devils dominated at Northside, 30-14
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