Ben’s Ford Christian School lost its regular season opener, 42-12, to Pickens Academy in Friday night’s game on the road in Carrollton, Ala.
The first half was competitive, but the Eagles were outscored 17-0 in the second half.
Ben’s Ford broke onto the scoreboard halfway through the first quarter on a 40-yard touchdown pass from Daniel Pittman to Corey Caldwell. The extra point was no good, but the Eagles were up, 6-0, with six minutes left in the opening period.
Pickens went in front 7-6 on the next possession.
Ben’s Ford fumbled on the first play of the next drive, which was also the opening play of the second quarter. Pickens recovered and scored again to make it a 13-6 contest.
Caldwell caught a 35-yard pass on the next drive, but Pickens intercepted a pass on the play after. Pickens was back in the endzone on the next possession and moved ahead, 19-6.
Ben’s Ford closed the gap, as Pittman completed a pass to Dionte Fernandez for an 18-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful.
Pickens went back up by two possessions with a touchdown that came with less than a minute left before halftime. The Eagles trailed 25-12 at the break.
Pickens scored 17 unanswered points in the second half.
Ben’s Ford coach Cole Holden said the team lost two players to injuries in the first half — C.J. McClelland and Robert Gaitan. McClelland left with a shoulder injury and Gaitan missed the second half with a knee injury.

Holden said his team dealt with a lot of adversity.
“We didn’t kickoff until about 8:45 because of a weather delay and then we had a 30-minute delay because their lights went out,” he said. “We need to clean that kind of stuff up and overcome the adversity. We need to play more disciplined football and cut out the turnovers.”
The Eagles committed six turnovers — three fumbles and three interceptions. The Eagles forced a turnover of their own on a fumble late in the game.
The Eagles are back in action Friday night when they travel to Amite School Center.ASC lost to Centreville (Miss.), 51-14, last week.