It was a tale of two halves at Signal Mountain's football stadium Friday night. The host Eagles scored 21 first-half points and went on to beat winless East Ridge 21-18 in a nonregion game.
"We came out and executed (in the first half)," said Eagles coach Josh Roberts. "We did some things right, but we have to make sure we cut out the mistakes. We gave them too much. We didn't play our best game."
Signal Mountain (2-4) was led by quarterback Drew Lowry, who ran for more than 140 yards and had 74 passing yards.
"He's got the 'it factor,'" Roberts said of the senior. "Any time we need a big play, he seems to come through for us. He's getting better and better."
The Eagles scored on their opening possession, capping a 14-play, 80-yard drive with a 2-yard run by Lowry. Scott Payne tacked on the extra point to make the score 7-0 with 4:26 to go in the first quarter.
East Ridge (0-5) threatened on its first possession. The Pioneers drove 51 yards, but the Eagles held them on third-and-long. East Ridge's Caleb Serato booted a 43-yard field goal.
After the teams traded possessions, Signal forced an East Ridge fumble and began another scoring drive. Lowry dropped back to pass but was forced to scramble and cruised 43 yards for the touchdown run.
The Eagles increased their lead as time ran down in the first half. Lowry connected with Travion Williams for a 43-yard touchdown completion with 33 seconds to go in the second quarter. The extra point put Signal up 21-3 at halftime.
East Ridge turned to the air to battle back in the second half. The Pioneers' Alonzo Russell connected with Eli King for two touchdowns in the second half, but the deficit was too much and the Eagles held on for the win.
Contact Brett King at sports@timesfreepress.com.