LIBERTY — Brookhaven Academy resumed its 2005 football campaignFriday night after a week off due to Hurricane Katrina, travelingto face Amite School Center. Led by a stellar performance fromjunior quarterback Price Sessums and a tough defense, the Cougarsreturned to Brookhaven with a 32-14 victory.

Sessums rushed the ball just four times for 149 yards and scoredthree rushing touchdowns. He passed for another score and returneda punt 55 yards for his fifth score of the night. Sessums finishedthe night going 3-7 through the air for 55 yards and atouchdown.

“We really didn’t know what to expect coming down here,” saidSessums. “We knew they were having a down year but we weren’t ableto get any game film on them to know how to prepare. We just cameout and tried to do what we do well and it worked out for us.”

Both teams had to play without the benefit of a visible gameclock due to scoreboard complications. Officials on the field keptthe time and notified the teams throughout the game.

Brookhaven’s defense shinned for the second straight game aslinebacker Wesley Taylor intercepted a Lee Turner pass on theopening drive of the game. It took the Cougars just three plays toscore and Sessums chalked up his first TD of the night on a 43 yardrun giving the visitors and early 7-0 lead.

Sessums scored again in the first frame on a 46-yard run,pushing the Cougar lead to 13-0 at the end of the firstquarter.

Brookhaven added two more quick TDs to open the second quarterof play, as Sessums connected with T-Boy Lynch from 24 yards outand then returned a punt 55 yards to paydirt giving the Cougars a25-0 lead at the intermission.

“We knew tonight would be a good chance to get our younger kidssome playing time,” said Brookhaven Academy head coach Ray Ishee.”We started substituting early in the second quarter and they gotsome quality playing time.

“We played well,” continued Ishee. “Our offensive line playedwell, and our defense played extremely well.”

One task for the Brookhaven defense was stopping Rebel runningback Casey Aldridge. In the Rebels’ opener, Aldridge compiled 360all-purpose yards and scored three touchdowns.

Friday night Brookhaven limited the standout back to just 18yards on 7 carries. By comparison, Brookhaven ended the game with300 yards total offense, limiting Amite to just 123 yards.

The Cougar defense tortured the Rebels in the first half as theyheld the home team to minus-4 yards of total offense.

Brookhaven’s final score of the night came in the third quarteras Sessums added his final TD on a 37-yard run, giving the Cougarsa 32-0 lead.

Amite scored late in the third on a 21-yard pass from Lee Turnerto Aldrige. Their final score came in the closing minutes as BillyVan Norman scored on a one-yard run.

Lynch followed Sessums in the rushing department, gaining 48yards on five carries. He also caught three passes for 55 yards anda touchdown. Paul Davis gained 36 yards on 4 carries.

Turner led the Rebels, going 5-12 for 75 yards and a score.

On defense, freshman linebacker Kolby Byrd led the Cougars with8 tackles. Russ Thames, Paul Davis, Aaron Douglas and Matt Rushingeach collected four stops. Wesley Taylor and Steven Covington eachhad an interception.

Brookhaven returns home to host Wilkinson County ChristianAcademy Friday night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.