LIBERTY – The West Lincoln Bears fell to the tough and fast Amite County Trojans 68-12 in Region 7-2A football action Friday.

The Trojans capped off a dominating first half with 36 unanswered points to finish out the game.

“I am very proud of the way our boys played tonight,” said West Lincoln coach Charlie Jackson. “The guys are fighting through a lot of bumps and bruises and injuries this season, but they continue to work hard every day. I think that is one thing you can say about our football team is they will continue to fight and never quit.”

The Trojans’ offense quickly went to business in their opening drive, collecting two quick first downs, before scoring the first points of the game to take a 8-0 lead after a successful two-point conversion.

The Trojans quickly got the ball back on West Lincoln’s next two offensive possessions with two interceptions. Amite County put together two scoring drives to take a commanding 24-0 lead.

West Lincoln managed to punch in their first touchdown of the night in the first quarter when Patrick Nottingham recovered a fumble on Amite County’s 38-yard line. Liam Rutland caught a pass and a successful run by Julian Anderson advanced ball to the nine-yard line. Quarterback Jayden Rushing rushed for a two-yard touchdown with 37 seconds left in the first. The Bears failed to cash in the two-point conversion. The score was 24-6.

Before the conclusion of the first period, the Trojans responded with a quick score to increase their lead to 32-6.

In the second quarter, with some offensive momentum favoring West Lincoln, Rushing helped the Bears cash in their second touchdown with a 20-yard strike to Owens. West Lincoln trailed 32-12.

That would be West Lincoln’s final touchdown drive of the game as the Trojans exploded with an 36-0 run to end the contest with a 68-12 victory.

“We have some young guys that have really stepped up for us this season,” said Jackson. “I really feel like in spite of the scoreboard the last couple of weeks, in the face of these challenges, our kids have really stepped up to the best of their ability and really fought and never given up. I am really proud of the way they responded as far as the leadership on our team in encouraging one another. We are taking as much of the fight as we can to the teams we are playing and we are not fighting amongst ourselves. We are becoming more of a family and all those things add up and down the road make us a better football program.

“I really am proud of the way the coaches have responded,” said Jackson. “We have adjusted and done the best we can with the situations that were handed to us, but one thing I do know for certain is that the season is not over and the kids are still walking around with their head high and proud of the things we have accomplished. Scoring on Bassfield last week was a big deal and fighting all the way to the end this week is a testament to what they have done this summer and what we are going to continue to do. I can’t say it enough of how extremely proud I am the guys, there really are no words to describe what we have gone through as a team this year and how much we have grown. ”

Offensively, the Bears were held to 135 total yards. Jayden Rushing completed 6-of-26 passes for 84 yards and had two interceptions. West Lincoln finished with 24 carries for 51 yards.

Anderson was the leader in rushing with 10 carries for 18 yards followed by Rushing with nine carries for 15 yards. Chase Owens had four receptions for 81 yards.

Defensively, Lofton Sills and Matthew Allred led the Bears with eight tackles. Anderson contributed five tackles.

The Bears (2-5, 0-2) continue division play Friday at Perry Miller Field hosting the Prentiss Bulldogs.