In Poinciana's first home game of the year, the Eagles welcomed their first non-Osceola County opponent, the fast and defensively-aggressive Evans Trojans.
While Poinciana came into Friday as Osceola's only unbeaten team, the Eagles quickly learned how the other half lives. Evans (1-2), who had played local powers Apopka and Jones to one-score losses, used a combo of a sound running game, pinpoint passing game and suffocating defense to down the Eagles (3-1), 49-27.
Evans quarterback Nazir completed his first eight passes and finished 11-of-13 for 142 and three touchdowns. The Trojans running game piled up 310 yards and 12 yards per carry as four different backs scored, and the defense sacked Poinciana quarterback Cameron Brown seven times. The only thing that stopped Evans was the Trojans themselves, who were flagged for 105 yards in penalties.
But the Eagles still accorded themselves well. Brown passed for 216 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and ran for a score. WIll Nezius carried 18 times for 76 yards and a pair of scores.
After Evans went 60 yards in four plays to take an early lead, Poinciana showed it wouldn't back down. On fourth-and-3 from, Brown hit a streaking Ernest Nunn on a 48-yard touchdown pass to tie it at 7-7 five minutes into the game.
The Trojans scored on their next two possessions to go back in front, but the Eagles closed the gap to 21-13. After Brown scrambled just to the sticks on fourth-and-18 to keep the drive alive, Nezius scored from the 1 with 3:26. McMillan hit a wide-open Cameron Oliver on a 28-yard scoring strike before the half to extend Evans' lead to 28-13 at intermission, and the Trojans scored two second-half touchdowns to seal the game.
Nezius scored again from six yards out, and added the two-point conversion, midway through the fourth quarter.
The Eagles will look to regroup next week at Haines City (1-3).
