A pitch-perfect Fort Dale Academy first-half proved too much of an obstacle for the visiting Warriors of Lee-Scott Academy to overcome as the Eagles mounted a 25-0 halftime lead and, eventually, a 25-13 win.

The win improves the Eagles to 5-1 on the season as Lee-Scott falls to 4-2.

The Eagles set the tone defensively with an early stop, giving Fort Dale strong starting field position for their first possession at the Warriors’ 43.

FDA quarterback Luke Taylor took advantage of the good field position and consumed 38 of the 43 yards on two huge runs, leaving the remaining 5 yards for a touchdown run from Zack Kendrick as the Eagles climbed to a 6-0 lead.

It was déjà vu for an intimidating FDA defense as another Eagle stop  set up Taylor for a 55-yard pass to Tripp Richardson down to the Warriors’ 17-yard line.  Taylor picked up 8 on the ground on a QB keeper for the Eagles’ second strike with 3:47 left in the first.

The pattern continued as the Eagles earned yet another stop, though Fort Dale was pinned relatively deep at their own 21-yard line.  Nevertheless, a methodical drive was capped with a 22-yard Taylor run for the Eagles’ third score in as many possessions.

The Eagles were pinned even deeper for their fourth possession, beginning with their heels on their own end zone at the 2-yard line.  A 50-yard bomb to Jason Little gave the Eagles some breathing room, and Taylor picked up yet another touchdown with his legs from the Warriors’ 14-yard line to make it 25-0 at the half.

The second half would prove inconsequential for both the Eagles and the Warriors, thanks to a mostly-stellar defensive performance from the former. 

FDA head football coach James “Speed” Sampley said that, despite one minor hiccup, his defense was near-flawless Friday.

“We have still got to get better every week,” Sampley said.

“We’ve got to manage our injuries and fight through them.  Our defense did well tonight.  We only gave up one big play defensively.”

Taylor, who finished the night 5 for 10 for 118 yards passing, another 180 yards on the ground and 8 tackles, said that this week’s preparation set the tone for the game from the start.

“We had a really good week in practice and came out focused and fired up,” Taylor said. “The line played very well with minimal errors.  We are focused on getting better every week.  We have a big region game with Morgan coming up.”

Richardson and Little led the Eagles’ receivers with 55 and 50 yards respectively.

Cade Mansmann contributed to the ground assault with 66 yards on 13 carries.

Baron Brack and Braxton Daniels tied Taylor’s defensive efforts with 8 tackles apiece.

The Eagles will return to region play and host the 3-3 Morgan Academy Senators Friday.