THOMASTON – A.L. Johnson (1-0) rode strong defensive and rushing efforts past a sloppy and oft-penalized R.C. Hatch team en route to a 22-2 win over the Bobcats Friday night.

The Eagles needed only eight plays and two-and-a-half minutes to hang the first score on the board and they never looked back.

On the opening drive, the Eagles marched down the field, gobbling up chunks of rushing real estate at-will. Deandre Langhorne capped the brief drive with a 9-yard score. Quinton McGhee added the two-point conversion to give the home-standing Eagles the 8-0 edge.

With the first quarter winding down, an erred Eagle snap on a punt attempt found its way to the end zone resulting in a Bobcat safety – the only points R.C. Hatch would record on the night.

The Eagles would bounce back from the miscue.

With four minutes left in the half, sophomore quarterback Demarcus Woods found a streaking Langhorne down the sideline for a 25-yard touchdown toss to give the Eagles a 14-2 lead at the half.

The second half was a steady diet of a punishing Eagle defense and ground game topped with a mistake-prone Bobcat offense and leaky defensive line.

Fully entrenched in their own red zone late in the third, the Bobcats pounced on an Eagle fumble killing a drive that ate much of the third quarter off the clock. On the next play, RC Hatch returned the gift, fumbling the ball in their own end zone where it was recovered by McGhee for the final score of the game.

McGhee led the rushing attack with 52 yards, followed by Langhorne with 48.

Woods accounted for 32 yards on the ground but did most of his damage through the air. Woods was 4-for-5 for 82 yards passing with one score and one interception on the night.

The Eagles travel to Dixon’s Mills next week to battle Marengo.