By Heather Stone
Sports writer

The W.S. Neal Eagles came away with a big victory in the first round of the playoffs at Northside High School Friday night, defeating the Rams 51-34.
Neal outscored Northside 35-14 in the first half with a 28-yard run by junior Quenton Samuel, a kickoff return for a touchdown and an 87-yard run by junior Malcolm Hawthorne; Samuel added another 59—yard run, and Hawthorne also scored on 1-yard run before the half.
The Rams scored with a 52-yard run and and 9-yard pass before halftime.
In the second half, W.S. Neal put 16 points on the board, while Northside scored 20 points. The Eagles’ scores came on a 21-yard pass from senior Trey Taylor to Samuel and a 1-yard run by Samuel.
The Rams scored with a 1-yard run, a 25-yard pass, and a 66-yard run as the clock ran out.
The Eagles had 407 total yards of offense in the game,386 rushing and 21 passing, while The Rams had 352 total yards of offense, 327 rushing and 25 passing.
Hawthorne led the Eagles with 232 yards rushing on 12 carries for two touchdowns. Hawthorne also had one interception and one kickoff return for a touchdown. Samuel had 124 yards rushing on 10 carries for three touchdowns. He also had a 21-yard pass reception for a touchdown in the win.