Beaufort Academy’s introduction to 11-man football came in the form of a hard-fought 28-18 loss to visiting St. John’s Christian Academy on Friday.
After a defensive struggle in the first half, the Eagles got on the board with the first of Carlos Jones’ two touchdown runs to pull with 8-6 with 3:55 left in the third quarter.
The Cavaliers answered quickly with a scoring strike to make it 14-6, but Jones punched in another TD, and Peyton Collins scooped up a fumble and took it to the end zone to give BA an 18-14 lead with 8:45 remaining.
The tiring Eagles defense couldn’t come up with a stop late, though, as the Cavs drove for two late scores to escape with the win.
BA (0-1) hosts Bethesda Academy for another non-region game at 7:30 p.m. Friday.