COLUMBIA – The West Lincoln Bears (3-6, 0-3) suffered a disappointing 41-8 loss to the East Marion Eagles (5-4, 3-0) last Thursday night in Columbia to a tough Region 7-2A powerhouse.

The Eagles directed an offensive display in the first half of the region matchup. The Eagles finished the ballgame with a 41-8 win over the visiting West Lincoln Bears. The bears looked strong on the opening kickoff as they recovered a mishandled ball by the eagles.

“This game was very similar to Bassfield. It’s extremely difficult to simulate speed and quickness in practice. We had a tough time containing their SEC committed quarterback” commented Coach Willie Brumfield.

West Lincoln got on the scoreboard late in the third quarter with an 11-yard run by Jayden Rushing. The Bears were successful on a two-point conversion pass between quarterback Ty Forman and receiver Bryce Temple.

Offensively, the Bears had 196 total all-purpose yards with 42 carries for 143 yards. Leading the charge was senior running back Kodie Carroll, who carried the ball 29 times for 75 yards including a 13-yard carry. Junior Jayden Rushing carried the ball nine times for 65 yards including a 15-yard carry.

Freshman Gabe Nations also had one reception during the game for 15 yards. Senior quarterback Ty Forman completed three out of eight passes for 53 yards. Chase Owens was the top receiver with 1 catch for 35 yards.

Aaron Byrd led the Bears defense with five solo tackles and two assisted. Chase Owens and Charles Wayne Smith both had three solo tackles and two assisted each.

Brumfield stated, “We were a step away on both sides of the ball from making plays. As always, our kids played hard and I’m proud of our effort. We will get back at it this week as we prepare for our district and county rival Enterprise this Friday night at West Lincoln.”

West Lincoln welcomes cross county rival Enterprise to Perry Miller field for more Region 7-2A action next Friday night with kickoff scheduled at 7 p.m.