The West Lincoln Bears finally managed to snap a 14-year, long losing streak against their Lincoln County rivals Monday night as they stunned the host Enterprise Yellow Jackets 13-8 in varsity football action on Harry Cole Field. West Lincoln began its football program in 1998 and has struggled over the years, unable to post a varsity win against Bogue Chitto, Loyd Star and Enterprise until last night.

      This game was originally scheduled last Friday, but due to Hurricane Isaac the game was postponed for a Labor Day special.

     “This was a great game and a great win,” said West Lincoln coach Willie Brumfield. “This is West Lincoln’s first win over a Lincoln County rival.

     “Overall, I am extremely proud of the kids. They played really hard for four quarters and did not quit. It was a complete game effort. Our defense played awesome.

     “Our coaches had a great game plan and the kids executed it really well,” continued Brumfield. “I would like to thank our fans for coming and cheering for the boys the whole time.”

     On a sweat-soaked night, West Lincoln and Enterprise fans gathered to watch their schools battle for their first win of the season in football. The Bears and Jackets came out strong and provided their fans with a fierce defensive bout. The first quarter ended scoreless.

     In the second quarter, the defensive battle continued as both offenses struggled to gain the upper hand.

     West Lincoln (1-2) finally broke loose late in the quarter when senior running back Deon Moore sprinted 56 yards to paydirt with 4:50 remaining. Tyler Moak was one-of-two on extra points for the night.

     Enterprise (0-3) quickly answered the challenge and marched down the field to set up Tomas Newman’s 32-yard dash for the touchdown with 2:52 left. The Jacket elected to go for the 2-point conversion, but were unsuccessful on the run.

     The Bears, refusing to settle for a 1-point lead before halftime, fought hard and marched down the field for a late score. Quarterback Jonah King answered the call as he connected with LaRontae Byrd for a 26-yard touchdown strike with 0:14 left.

     West Lincoln led at the half 13-6.

     In the second half, the defensive battle continued to intensify. Both offenses sputtered when they reached the red zone for a scoring opportunity. After three quarters of action, the score remained unchanged.

     To begin the fourth quarter, Enterprise’s defense toughened up on West Lincoln’s offense and managed to tackle the Bears for a safety with 9:27 remaining.

     The Jackets received the free punt after the safety and threatened to capture the lead but West Lincoln’s defense clamped down and Enterprise was forced to turn over the ball on downs.

     Late in the fourth quarter, the Jackets managed to forced the Bears to punt to get the ball back with 3:00 left. Enterprise put together some good drives but unfortunate penalties brought the action back.

     West Lincoln ended the Jackets’ scoring threat when the Bears defense caused Enterprise to fumble the ball. Linebacker Tyler Moak fell on the ball for the recovery.

     “West Lincoln came ready to play and wanted the win more,” said Enterprise coach Brooks Burns. “It really hurt us when our quarterback (Jackson Cole) went down in the second quarter, but Austin Coleman did a great job coming in to replace him.”

     Cole suffered heat exhaustion and was taken to KDMC for treatment. West Lincoln lineman Luke Barrilleaux also suffered heat exhaustion and was treated at KDMC.

     “As a whole, we started the game off flat and West Lincoln was fired up to play,” continued Burns. “The outcome really falls on me. I did not have our boys ready to play.”

     Offensively, Moore led the Bears’ rushing attack with 21 carries for 146 yards. King contributed 10 rushes for 90 yards.

     King also completed one-of-two passes for 26 yards and 1 interception. Byrd caught the pass.

     Newman was the offensive leader for Enterprise with 24 rushes for 124 yards. Dylan Smith provided 5 carries for 37 yards. Kenyon Frazier added 7 rushes for 30 yards.

     Defensively, Moak recovered a fumble for the Bears. Travis Brinson intercepted a pass for the Jackets.

     West Lincoln returns home to host the Sacred Heart Crusaders Friday night on Perry Miller Field. Enterprise prepares for a tough road test against the Pisgah Dragons Friday.