Gainesville High football endures tumultuous week, ends drought vs. Eastside
· Yahoo Sports
For the first time in five years, Gainesville High football defeated its crosstown rival.
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The Hurricanes knocked off Eastside 24-10 on Sept. 18 at Citizens Field to snap a painful five-year losing streak in this series. EHS had outscored GHS 174-0 in the games from 2022-25.
The victory also caps a tumultuous and emotional week for the Hurricanes. GHS coach Ashour Peera was placed on administrative leave Thursday afternoon, the Sun reported. Defensive coordinator Ray Smith stepped in as interim head coach.
The Hurricanes fell behind early as Eastside marched to the end zone on its opening drive to take a 7-0 lead. GHS then turned it over on downs at the Rams 4 on its first drive. However, the ‘Canes blocked the ensuing EHS punt and turned it into a Javaris Gardner touchdown.
Eastside took a 10-6 lead into the locker room. That changed in the second half as Gardner fully took over. Against his old team, he helped GHS take a 12-10 lead midway through the third. Two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter put the game on ice.
The win brings the ‘Canes to 2-3 and gives them back-to-back wins for the first time since 2024. EHS now falls to 1-4 with district play resuming for both squads next week.
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 [email protected]. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1, Instagram @Ramreporter and Facebook Noah Ram - Reporter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Gainesville High football endures tumultuous week, ends drought vs. Eastside