The electricity surrounding Evans football reached its peak Friday.
The Knights were forced out of their home stadium before the matchup with Westside after a transformer blew and the lights were rendered useless, attaching an element of irony to Knights fans' planned blackout.
The game was moved to Westside, where the Knights remained undefeated with a 35-10 win.
Evans coach Marty Jackson tried to flip the lights on at Blanchard Stadium around 6:30 p.m. and the transformer blew, leaving the field without power. Georgia Power was called, but the technician said the problem could not be fixed Friday, unless Evans wanted to use its own maintenance staff.
Knights athletic director Kevin Kenny deemed the proposition too risky, and then mulled moving the game to today. But Kenny and Westside officials met on the field and decided to play at the Patriots' home field with an 8:50 p.m. kickoff.
Evans remained the home team of record.
The Knights will soon face a similar circumstance. Assuming Blanchard Stadium is illuminated by Friday, the Knights will play host to Josey, even though Evans will be the away team. The agreement was arranged after it was decided Josey could not provide security that night.
Once the venue was set Friday, the Knights took care of business.
Evans running back Jonathan Finch scored on an 18-yard run on the Knights' first drive. After the Patriots kicked a field goal to cut the lead, Evans tacked on a 48-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Troy Griffith to Josh Butler, then Tevin Nelson returned a punt 42 yards for another Knights score before the half.
Evans (6-0, 5-0 Region 3-AAAA) is undefeated through six games for a second consecutive season. The Patriots, under first-year head coach Ivory Hugee, dropped to 2-4 overall and 1-4 in region play.
The Knights frustrated Patriots running back Chris Hunter, holding one of the area's leading rushers to 19 carries for 34 yards and keeping him out of the end zone.
Reach Stephen Fastenau at (706) 863-6165 ext. 116 or stephen.fastenau@augustachronicle.com.
EVANS 35, WESTSIDE 10
PLAY OF THE GAME: Knights junior Tevin Nelson 's 42-yard punt return for a touchdown was Evans' first punt return for a score since 2004 and gave the Knights a 21-3 lead.
WHY EVANS WON: The Knights' defense stayed on the field a long time, but came up with the key plays when it had to, including a key fourth-down stop in the third quarter.
WHY WESTSIDE LOST: The Patriots allowed too many big plays and struggled to find consistency on offense.
STAR OF THE GAME: Evans defensive end Nigel Charles made camp in the Patriots' backfield and recorded two sacks.
NEXT: Josey vs. Evans at Blanchard Stadium, 7:30 p.m. Friday; Westside vs. Butler, 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Westside 0 10 0 0 -- 10
Evans 7 14 0 14 -- 35
First Quarter
E--Jonathan Finch 18 run (Jamie Galvin kick) 6:29
Second Quarter
W--Aaron Umansky 32 FG 11:02
E--Josh Butler 48 pass from Troy Griffith (Galvin kick) 9:22
E--Tevin Nelson 42 punt return (Galvin kick) 3:06
W--Umansky 25 pass from Josh Edmunds (Umansky kick) :8.9
Fourth Quarter
E--Finch 41 run (Galvin kick) 9:56
E--Jamerson Turner 4 run (Galvin kick) 4:10
W E
First Downs 13 11
Rushes-Yards 33-44 24-206
PASSING Yards 133 105
Comp.-Att.-Int. 11-24-1 8-13
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 2-0
Punts-Yards 5-33.6 3-40
Penalties-Yards 7-48 7-75
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING-- Westside: Chris Hunter 19-34, T.J. Ramsey 1-14, Mark Cummings 5-11, Josh Edmunds 1-(-7), Team 1-(-8). Evans: Jonathan Finch 12-132, Jamerson Turner 7-81, Hector MAllar 3-8, Tevin Nelson 1-5, Troy Griffith 1-(-20).
PASSING-- Westside: Edmunds 11-23-133-1, Hunter 0-1. Evans: Griffith 7-12-99, Glenn Cassidy 1-1-6.
RECEIVING-- Westside: Ramsey 7-88, Aaron Umansky 1-25, Hunter 2-11, Matt Menger 1-9. Evans: Josh Butler 1-48, Sam Nichols 2-21, Turner 2-17, Finch 1-9, Tavarus Ferguson 1-6, Nelson 1-4.
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