Don't make it bigger than what i a football game.

You been playing football most o all your life.

Biggest game of your life next w So when we running, when we prac we all locked in.

We all locked in.

Nothing else matter but next wee Hey, great job tonight.

When we needed it, we got it don We made it closer than it should have been.

But great job.

Ay, I aint celebrating tonight.

I'm locked in, I'm ready for nex You get a chance to call yoursel a champion next week.

Stop, stop.

Next week?

A champio Nah, you must have the wrong tea The Eastside Rams?

Nah, cause the Eastside I know h terrible for the last three seas How could they possibly be in this position?

I'm glad you asked.

Let's go back to the beginning.

Over the last three seasons, Eastside has gone a combined 5-25, including Anthony Richards These days, he's off to bigger and better th I mean, he's NFL bound.

He's going to the league, but his high school has been down in the dumps.

So they made some changes and br some homegrown talent.

Introducing Harold Hoskins, a.k.

Itll look like what?

Smash.

Steamers.

Make ‘em sell it.

Let My father actually gave me the n when I was growing up.

Well, actually, when I was born he's from, it means go getter.

So he thought I was going to be a go getter.

So he named Gator.

Gator played quarterback and saf in his time at Eastside.

He turned that into a very successful career at Marshall University, where he played tight end.

He went from throwing passes to catching passes while taking Huntington, West Virginia, totaling over 1300 yards receivi After going undrafted in the NFL he signed briefly with the Miami Dolphins in 2014, and now he's c Honestly, man, I got tired of Eastside looking you know, I knew that I felt like I could help.

I knew some guys that would come along with me to And I just got tired of it looking like this.

Hoskins would build his staff with some of his best friends, f teammates, and Eastside alum.

He called me.

He say, “man, I got the job and I want you to the defensive coordinator.

” And I was a little hesitant because I've never been a defensive coordinator before, he had faith in me.

He reassured me that he think I and it's a blessing.

He gave me sense of betting on y It was kind of nerve racking that month and a half leading up actually getting the job, but it was just a feeling of being o once we did knowing that, you know, we've got a big respon on our hands and a chance to kin the community back together and to kind of put Eastside back on That journey was start on the ro against cross-city opponent P.K.

Let's just say P.K.

didn't have I mean, damn, that's tough.

Eastside would go on to win 48 t and the following week they kept it rolling with a 26 t over Keystone Heights.

Next up was city rival Buchholz.

That was a tall task.

Buchholz was coming off a run to final four.

They've dominated the Rams winning the last nine matchups.

This was a statement game, but it got canceled due to rain.

So, we turn to week four.

Bradford.

The homecoming game.

This one would be different.

Lock in.

Ay, you got a chance to do something special.

I can't remember the last have you ever been 3-0?

Have you ever been in 3-0?

Eastside aint never been 3-0, and we got a chance to do that t All right?

Let's make it better than it's e Ay, if I told you it was the las you was going to wear that Eastside jersey.

All right, how hard would you pl You would play real hard, right?

Ay, imagine its your last time ever wearing that Thats how I need you playing to Hey, they physical.

They ready to play fellas.

So you better, ay, have your har First play of the game it's time None of that soft stuff.

Let's go play ball fellas, all r Locked in chance to go 3-0.

I told you every day 55, all rig Every day, every play, lets go locked in, ready to play fellas.

Lets go touch somebody.

Yeah.

So Eastside wouldn't go 3-0, something was off in this one.

This couldn't possibly be the sa that dropped a combined 74 point in their first two games.

It's like they were missing some What if I told you that the team lost actually came off the field Remember that blindside block when the left tackle pulled?

Well, the team was blindsided an when that same left tackle was pulled for good.

On September 4th, senior left ta Dabian “DaeDae ” White died.

He was 17.

I remember like, almost like a s going down my spine.

I was like, What?

Like that?

That got to be a joke You know DaeDaes a jokester.

You got to be something's not ri And then, yeah, then it just, like, started getting more and more real as time went on.

I mean, he was a great kid, funny, loving, caring, great to be around.

I was excited to be his coach, m you know, just from seeing the h that he put in over the summerti And I told him, hey, if you want great, you've got to work hard a And, you know, for him to finall the corner, that was that was the toughest thing abou because I finally seen him turn believing in himself, putting in that hard work.

And for it to come up short, you know, it was it was heartbre He was a good kid.

He had a good attitude.

You know, you always joke and laugh with y You know, everybody kind of all the players kind of flocked to h You know, they wanted to be arou him.

He's very popular.

Man, DaeDae man.

That was like, that was like one of my other kids, man.

Like, I used to take him home ev I would pick him up from practic know what Im saying.

If he needed me, I'm there for h If I go pick up something from Z he there know what Im saying.

I pretty much knew DaeDae all hi Like me and his daddy played bal Me and his momma went to the Boy and Girls Club together.

Its like, I knew big dog all hi He was man big, gentle, giant.

The P.K.

game was one of the one that really pop to my head.

He was coming up to me.

“Coach, make me a captain.

Come on, coach, make me the capt And I was like, man, I'm gonna think about it.

But I already had told the refs that he was a captain.

So, I'm over there just messing You know, Ill think about it ma Ill see how you do during warmu “Come on, coach, please make me And when I announced that he was to see the smile on his face and how happy he was, you know, that brought joy to me hey he was able to say I was a c before I went out.

It would have to be that P.K.

ga You know, him just wanting to take care of peo always want to laugh, and have fun and crack jokes.

But, you know, on that play we ran a counter play against P.K.

Yonge where he was able to to kind of show that other side The side that, you know, a lot o coaches would have loved man.

Man, we was laying in this locke and I was talking trash to him.

And just out of nowhere he just and politely put me on the thang and just laid me on the ground and say, “Coach, what you going I just had to give it up.

Couldnt do nothing.

Couldnt do nothing.

Couldnt do nothing.

Couldn't do nothing.

Eastside couldn't do nothing against Bradford.

We had a chance to fight tonight and some of yall laid down.

Its all right.

Ay, cause we gonna get better ne Its a life lesson.

Hey, now, how do we face adversi All right, we must stay together as a famil The team was battling a whirlwind of emotions off the The day after suffering their first loss on the gridiron the team gathered in the Eastside auditorium for the homegoing service of their fallen teammate.

That is where they announced that they were dedicating the rest of the season to 55.

Surely, he will be missed.

No way we can replace him, but we'll do it every day the way that well honor him, ev the way that we live.

I talk to the boys about every day, ever play.

We will dedicate the rest of the season to DaeDae So what now?

Hopefully, we can go ahead and finish this season on top, m and do this in his memory because he definitely deserves i The first game of district play is always but in this case it's kind of like the first playoff g Let me break it down.

Eastside is in a district with t North Marion and Santa Fe.

Beat both district opponents and North Marion already beat Santa pretty handily I might add.

So, Eastside needed this one if going to have a chance to dance.

All right, go out there and figh Give it all you then some.

Hey, we done come to far fellas.

This is the start of the turnaro right here.

Ay, Im so sorry for the seniors that yall dont get a the chanc Hey, its coming though.

Its time for you to put it on your shoulder now.

Put it on your shoulder seniors.

We riding off you Rio what you g “ Turn up.

” Let's go then.

Hey, we ain't got nothing else t about.

Lets pray it up, we got nothing else to talk abou But the job not done.

Job aint done.

We aint no district champions y All right?

Hey, we just took care of business.

We still in it.

We got.

We got another day to live.

We got another day to live that That's all we did, took care of All right?

And we got one more.

One more.

We got to take care of Santa Fe.

Hey, but lets take one game at One game at a time.

Friday, we got Ridgeview.

We got to take care of Ridgeview One game at a time fellas.

While Eastside was able to beat North Marion, the offense stalled for a second straight week.

The message in practice was that the offense, and more specifically the offensive line, needed to be We havent done anything on offe in two weeks, three weeks.

Zero points in nine quarters.

Zero points.

We got to pick it up.

Yeah, guys we won that game.

We aint do nothing.

Be real with yourself.

The heavens above, God, He bless He blessed us.

We aint do nothing right there.

I need yall boys to understand He's still with us.

Hes still with us spiritually.

Hes still got us spiritually.

That North Marion game probably wouldn't happen without Imma just be completely honest.

You know what Im saying?

But I know for a fact right now, my boys down their trippin.

Just being there to support him funeral just wasn't enough for m I feel like we still owe him a l That 55 on yall back of yall helmet, dog.

We owe him.

We miss him.

Bro, this is our un We always said from the beginnin We all we got, we all we need.

Let's keep it like that, man.

They showed a little something a Ridgeview, put 35 points on the and now their 4-1.

I think people are starting to t But everyone wasnt fond of East Just ask Newberry.

They had next.

If Eastside were to shut down th they've already exceeded expecta Hoskins has the Rams taking what or as assistant coach Andre Brad Ay, listen bruh.

Hey, he done wo That's something Eastside aint Hey, bruh, he's straight.

He's straight.

Yeah.

The Rams comfortable.

The kids on this team have never been in this position On a winning team?

That's crazy.

So, Eastsides riding high going It's finna be a party.

Oh, did I mention it was Newberr You're not supposed to lose the Eastside lost theirs.

So now, it's time to crash the p Its time to dominate.

Let's take over the city one tea And it just happen to be them ne Hey fellas, they picked yall on homecoming they thought yall was sweet.

This a guaranteed win.

Yall need to come out here and Yall say yall want to do this Do it!

Lets go out here and finish thi We not losing.

If you put it on 55 do it for hi Hey, finish on me finish on thre One, two, three.

Finish!

Mmm, uncomfortable is the word.

This isn't how this one was supp Losing to Newberry two years in That's the same old Eastside and they got a long bus ride hom Don't worry about the loss, as the season ages.

The Rams dropped to 4-2 but Nothing changes.

You still got a chance to be dis Understand the goal at hand.

District champs.

Make the playoffs.

Hey, but we can now come around playing with teams.

We've got to lock in.

Boy, was they locked in a tight the following week against Belle on the road again, Rattlers home Like it's the same storyline.

And the outcome was, well, it came down to the wire.

Don't make it bigger than what i Its a football game, you been p football most of yall all your Biggest game of your life next w So when we running, when we prac we all locked in.

Ay, great job tonight.

When we need it we got it done.

We made it closer than it should have been, but gr Ay, I aint celebrating tonight.

I'm locked in.

I'm ready for nex You get a chance to call yourself a champion next we Lets lock in.

Hey, let's be focused and let's Yes sir, the time has come, the Let's take a look at those stand Eastside number one, North Marion number two, and Santa Fe number three.

Even though Santa Fe is having a a win over Eastside would cause way tie in the district.

Then what?

Well, North Marion would get the because they have more impressiv So it's simple, win and you're i Oh, and did I mention it was sen This could truly be the last cha Hey, that one was for DaeDae fel That was for 55 fellas.

Everything we've been through.

Hey, dont be surprised.

I told you over the summer, nobody worked hard as us this su And now we're just reaping the b You just reaping the benefits.

Hey, we champions forever.

Fifty-five is a champion forever Hey, they said this wouldn't be We did it.

But guess what, fellas, we gon I'm happy as hell.

I'm happy for you guys man.

Especially for the boys.

that done been here three years, when the whole community gave up Holden, you done been playing yo This ones for you man.

This one is for you man.

Hey, but its only one check.

We ain't done.

This only one che Hey, only thing this mean is we And now we got to go dance.

The Rams had one more thing they before the end of the regular se Hey, we got another check to che GHS been disrespecting us for the last 13 years.

We owe them.

Sheesh!

Thirteen straight losses to the And a loss this season would mak worse considering that GHS was 0 Theyd love nothing more than to end the season off with But Hoskins has been waiting on The last time Eastside beat GHS was in 2008 and he was the quarterback.

Trust me, I knew it coming in.

I had told Coach Buie, I want to be able to say I was the last quarterback to do and I was the first head coach t So that was one of those things that I wanted to check off my li Well, the Rams were ready for th and kept the hurricanes from mak I mean, ten weeks and not even a Back to the drawing board.

And Eastside, they got at least another week.

It's time to dance.

Let the record show that none of the players on this have ever been to the playoffs.

But the more things change, the more things stay the same, as in opponents.

The Rams will have to play someo they've already played again.

But who could it be?

The luck of the draw, says, Oh, not the district opponent, t Dang.

And they got the higher se I said it was like the first pla it's the first playoff game.

But this time the Colts had to come to the eas and the results were all that.

We get one shot fellas.

One shot.

We belong here.

There's no mistake that we here.

We belong here.

We got to come out there and sho If it don't got a white jersey o put it in the dirt.

Most important, lets have some fun tonight, man Hey man, for fifty-five you know what it we going to regionals.

Ay, long live 55 man, round two.

Long live 55.

A-D-V-A-N-C-E. Advance, into the second round where it was the same thing somebody they seen before, a team that brings out all the e and they had to go to their plac Let's take that journey to Stark Bradford.

Ouch.

It was worse than before.

Not just because the tornadoes put up more points this time, but because this loss put the fi The season was over.

M-A-R-K. Mark, defined as making a visible impr Head coach Gator Hoskins didn't because he won football games or because he came back to his a He left his mark by giving his p coaching staff and community something to believe in.

He provided hope to a group that counted out, overlooked and slept on.

And while his team was distraugh he encouraged them to pick their and keep moving forward.

You believed in yourselves.

Hey, who would imagine we would I'm proud of you guys.

Let's leave it better than when And now you guys done laid the f You laid it down.

This is, ay, this is the bar.

Every guy coming back this is th Nothing less than the playoffs, that's what everybody expecting These seniors did what they had They came in, they fought, ay, they lead.

They did everything they could.

I'm once again, I'm proud of you guys, man.

It was an honor to coach you guy Man an honor.

But, ay, it dont stop here.

Take what you've learned from th Don't think now, because footbal with I ain't got to do nothing.

I can go out and make bad decisi Take what you learned this seaso 2-8 to 8-3.

Hey, you guys you seniors able t district champs, co-city champs, first time Eastside done won a playoff game since I think First time Eastside done beat GH 2008, 2009.

Hey, you able to go out to say, We did what we could.

” Because who would imagine?

Y'all been through hell this yea It aint a lot of people can say they went through what yall bee And you picked your head up.

So, aint no need to look down.

Ay, we on the rise man.

It hurt.

But remember how it hurt.

I love all you guys.

And no matter what, we always going to be a family b We Eastside.

You a Ram, everybod So it dont matter, ay, five years from now you need me I'm always going to be here for I'm always going to be there for All right we always going to be All right?

Ay, we gon pray it up.

Lets break it down one more tim for DaeDae this year, all right?

All right, lets go.

Make sure every body is saying t Touch somebody.

Lets go Jaden.

Our father.

“Our father.

” Which art in heaven.

“Which art in heaven.

” Hallowed be thy name.

“Hallowed be thy name.

” Thy kingdom come.

“Thy kingdom come.

” Thy will be done.

“Thy will be done.

” On Earth.

“On Earth.

” As in heaven.

“As in heaven.

” Ay, lets break it down for DaeD one more time baby.

Lets go.

Ay, 55 on me, 55 on three.

One, two, three, 55!

Who wouldve thought?

Not me.

I pulled up and they were 2-0.

I just happened to be in the rig at the right time.

But you, you probably missed it because you've slept on the East But I bet you won't sleep next y