Eastside Catholic (Wash.) was on its back foot more than once, needing to get up emotionally, physically to counter the energy put forth by Pinnacle (Ariz.) lThey did, until finally a game Pinnacle (Ariz.) squad ran out of juice. Here’s what we learned from the interstate battle in which Eastside Catholic won 21-19:
1) GEE SCOTT IS FOR REAL
The latest, greatest Ohio State wide receiver commit happens to hail from Sammamish, Washington and star for Eastside Catholic. Gee Scott Jr., a 6-foot-2.5, 207-pounder, provided the biggest clutch plays for Eastside when they needed it. There was the 87-yard bomb of a pass, which he took in the rest of the way. There was the touchdown catch he made late that put Eastside back in the lead, for good. It was an impressive performance against an strong, not-overmatched or intimidated defense.
2) J.D. Johnson is ready for the next step
A Jim Harbaugh commit to Michigan, J.D. Johnson proved throughout his team’s loss that he could lead his teammates back against a team with a much greater talent base and higher expectations. He connected throughout the night with Marcus Libman. And he led the rallying drive time and again. Sure, the last one didn’t work out, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.
3) Eastside survived Pinnacle, and now they may be in driver’s seat
With only Pinnacle emerging as a bona fide threat to Eastside’s dominance, the Seattle program could be on the road to an undefeated regular season, and maybe even a subsequent state title. There are always upsets, but there were times in Friday’s matchup where it appeared Eastside was in trouble, only to wriggle away. Now that Eastside Catholic has avoided that once, something tells us they may not even face a challenge like that again.
