NEWTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISIONERS

ton defeated Central Gwinnett 27-0 in a region semifinal contest.

Nov. 27, 1987: Newton defeated Brookwood 27-24 to claim the Rams first of two region titles.

Sept. 6, 1996: The Eastside Eagles played their first game at Sharp and downed East Paulding 2117.

Nov. 21, 1997: Eastside competed in its first playoff game and defeated Central 48-12 at Sharp.

Sept. 8, 2006: Alcovy had its inaugural game at Sharp Stadium.

Oct. 26, 2018: Eastside won the region championship by winning 41-0 over Henry County at Sharp.

Nov. 6, 2021: Alcovy captured the program’s first ever region championship defeating Evans 28-25.

Nov. 19, 2021: Alcovy competed in its first home playoff game at Sharp.

Newton Cup Rivalry

In 2002, the city’s only two public high schools at the time — Newton and Eastside — hosted its own matchups against each other at Sharp Stadium. Four years later, Alcovy was built and joined the round robin rivalry.

The three schools’ matchups have taken on a life of its own

Eastside is 14-3 all-time against Alcovy with the most lopsided Eagles victory being in 2015 where they won 41-0. The Tigers’ three wins came in 2009, 2012 and 2013.

Meanwhile, Newton is 11-7-1 against Eastside in the schools’ 20 matchups. The Rams’ biggest win was in 2017, a 40-0 victory. A year later, both teams tied 40-all. Then, in 2012, Eastside enjoyed a 32-0 victory over its in-county rivalry.

Lastly, the Rams hold a 9-3 series record against Alcovy. In 2015, Newton triumphed to a 47-0 tune. Eight years prior, Alcovy bested Newton, though, winning 23-0.

What’s next? Sharp Stadium has had work done since it was built 66 years ago. Since its start, a field house was built, visitor’s stands installed and a video scoreboard resides inside the athletic facility.

But there’s more on the way.

During a Nov. 22, Board of Education meeting, members voted and approved the installation of an artificial turf playing surface. Therefore, beginning in the 2023 football season, all three schools will no longer play on grass.

The addition of LED lighting is also scheduled to take place, with more additions such as improved parking planned for the near future.

What’s next for Covington’s iconic football stadium? The coming years will answer that question for high school sports fans and the city’s residents.

Happy Birthday from Newton County and the Board of Commissioners

Chairman Marcello Banes Stan Edwards District 1 Demond Mason District 2 Alana Sanders District 3 J.C. Henderson District 4 Ronnie Cowan District 5