There was little to celebrate on the field for A.L. Johnson’s homecoming, except maybe the homecoming ceremony itself.

What was supposed to be to be a interesting Class A Region 3 showdown between A.L. Johnson and Billingsley turned into a grueling lopsided game where nothing seemed to go right for the Eagles.

For A.L. Johnson (3-4 overall, 3-3 Class 1A Region 3) and head coach Mose Jones this was their first homecoming loss in seven years. Billingsley dominated the contest, scoring on two separate 80-yard runs while their defense effectively shut down the running game the Eagles had relied upon so effectively last year.

“It’s been a tough,” said Coach Jones. “We went from a winning season last year and 2-0 to start the season off to 3-4. We have a lack of leadership and just simply not able to get the ball rolling.”

The game started out on a bad note for A.L. Johnson. Billingsley (5-2 overall and in Class 1A Region 3) easily drove down to the Eagle’s 24-yard line on their third play of the game and then took the ball into the end one with a 24-yard run by Jamar Hopson. A successful two-point attempt gave A.L. Johnson an 8-0 deficit before they even had a chance to touch the ball.

The Bears would again find the end zone with another run by Hopson, this time an 80-yard dash with 9:19 left in the second quarter. A successful PAT brought the score to 15-0.

The Eagles quickly turned the ball over again on downs on their next possession giving Billingsly another chance to score, this time on a Jerome Tyus 70-yard touchdown pass with 4:07 left to play in the half. The PAT attempt was good, bringing the score to 22-0.

Costly mistakes, along with a pourous defense, plagued the Eagles all night. In the next A.L. Johnson series, the Bears picked off a Kejuan McGhee pass intended for Ronzell Henton and drove in for a quick touchdown. The extra point attempt was good bringing the score to 29-0.

A 16-yard pass from quarterback DeAndre Langhorne to Kendarius Fritts triggered the only scoring drive for the Eagles. With only 4 seconds left, it set up a 1 yard push into the end zone by Langhorne, ending the half 29-6. The two-point conversion again failed.

What could have been a chance to form some semblance of a comeback in the third quarter turned into another rout as Jamar Hopson again ran 80 yards straight through A.L. Johnson’s defense. A two-point attempt was successful bringing the score to 37-6.

Billingsley continued the onslaught with an additional scoring drive in the fourth with a 13-yard touchdown run and successful PAT to ring the final score to 45-6.

The loss locked A.L. Johnson out of playoff contention this year, but not for Billingsley. The Bears earned a shot in the playoffs by knocking off the Eagles. A.L. Johnson will travel to Maplesville next week to take on the Red Devils.