The Fort Dale Eagles traveled farther than any other Butler County school Friday night and a disappointing 27-7 loss made the drive home seem twice as long.

They made their way to Bessemer, just south of Birmingham to take on the Rebels of Bessemer Academy, but their hopes of a victory quickly faded.

On the first play of the game, a Fort Dale pass bounced off the back of the intended receiver who got tripped up.

The Rebels caught it and ran for 30 yards for the touchdown.

The point after attempt was good and with 11:45 left in the first quarter, the Rebels led 7-0.

With 1:05 left in the first quarter, senior quarterback David Moore ran it in from one-yard out to bring it to 7-6.

Senior place kicker Eric Hicks made the PAT and the score stood 7-7.

This capped a 13-play, 51-yard drive.

Bessemer followed this with another TD and PAT and the score raised to 14-7.

With 3:31 left in the first half, Bessemer intercepted a Fort Dale pass and ran it in for the TD.

The PAT was good and the score stood at 21-7 at the end of the first half.

The final scoring drive of the game came with 4:23 left in the third period when Bessemer had a strong 41-yard run for daylight into the end zone.

The PAT failed and the score stood at 27-7. That is where it remained for the remainder of the game.

Junior Tim James led the Eagles offense with 23 carries for 74 yards.

Senior John Allen Bates led the Fort Dale offense with 9 tackles, while Junior Aaron Blackmon had 7 tackles.

Junior Matthew Conway and Sophomore Dalton Gregory each had a fumble recovery.

Hicks also had one interception.

The Eagles return home next Friday night in their first regional play against Hooper Academy.

Edgewood Academy lay a thumping on Hooper Friday night with a score of 43-9. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.