Forty unanswered Fort Dale points all but sealed the deal as the Eagles handily put away their first opponent, the Evangel Christian Academy Lions, 40-12.

It was FDA junior quarterback Luke Taylor who struck first for the Eagles on a touchdown carry to give the Eagles a 6-0 lead with 5:21 remaining in the first quarter.

Barely a minute of gametime later, running back Andrew Salter would find equal success on the ground for Fort Dale’s second score, with an extra-point attempt from William Crenshaw finding its mark to put the Eagles up 13-0.

Another Eagles defensive stop gave Fort Dale the ball just before the half, and Taylor found paydirt with his legs for a second time in the ballgame with only 15 seconds left in the half for a 20-0 lead heading into the locker rooms.

The halftime break did little to quell the Eagles’ momentum, as Salter scored on his second rushing touchdown barely two minutes into the third.  A second successful point-after swelled the Fort Dale lead to 27-0.

Taylor would score again, this time with his arm, on a connection with Lance Powell for a touchdown pass once more in the third quarter to make the score 33-0.

Zach Kendrick became the fourth different Eagle to score on the night with a final touchdown carry to mark the Eagles’ sixth unanswered touchdown.

Evangel would eventually mount a response with 4:57 remaining in the game, but it was a case of too-little, too-late as the Eagles held firmly to a commanding lead.

Taylor finished the night 6-13, passing for 108 yards and rushing for 76 yards on 9 carries.

Powell led the Eagles’ receiving units with a 34-yard touchdown reception.

William Sherling and Wilder Eagerton each contributed 25 receiving yards.

Running back Clay Mansmann led the Eagles on the ground with 4 rushes for 93 yards, accounting for nearly a third of the team’s total 273 rushing yards.

Mansmann also led in tackles with 11, followed by Mason Keen’s 6 tackles.

The Eagles hit the road once again Friday to face Wilcox Academy.  Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.