The No. 2-ranked Andalusia Bulldogs gave No. 4-UMS-Wright all they could handle, but fell 14-7 in a hard-fought Class 4A, Region 1 battle Friday night in Mobile.

“I’m extremely proud of our guys tonight,” Andalusia head coach Trent Taylor said. “The kids played their tails off tonight on both sides of the ball.”

Andalusia won the coin toss and elected to kick to start the game.

UMS-Wright’s Tanner Allen picked up a first down on the first play from scrimmage, but the Andalusia defense stepped up and forced a punt four plays later.

Andalusia took over and Ethan Wilson connected with B.J. Anderson for an 8-yard gain to get the Bulldogs started. Zack Woods then picked up a first down, but Andalusia was forced to punt a few plays later.

Wilson’s punt pinned UMS-Wright on their own 10-yard line with 7 minutes left in the opening quarter.

Will Clark put a punishing hit on the UMS-Wright running back during the next series that helped force another punt.

Andalusia got into a fourth-and-two situation, and Woods burst through the line for a Bulldog first down.

A few plays later, Wilson connected with Derrick McQueen who made a couple of guys miss before being brought down for a 29-yard pickup.

Antonio Gurley then capped off the drive with a 6-yard thunderous touchdown run.

UMS-Wright got a big return on the ensuing kickoff, and then Allen went 38 yards on a quarterback keeper to knot the game at 7-7 with 10:23 left in the first half.

UMS-Wright forced a punt on Andalusia’s next possession.

In turn, Andalusia forced UMS-Wright into a third-and-18 situation, but Allen hit running back Michael Matthews on screen pass that he took 29 yards for the score. The extra-point gave UMS-Wright a 14-7 lead with 3:42 left in the opening half.

Wilson started off the next drive by showing off some fancy footwork when he danced around several UMS-Wright defenders for a 40-yard pickup on quarterback keeper.

The Bulldogs looked like they were going to put one in the end zone before halftime, but a questionable fumble negated the Andalusia drive around the 15-yard line.

Both teams’ defenses continued to play lights out in the second half, but neither team could find the end zone.

Andalusia got the ball down close a couple of times, but was stopped short on fourth down attempts.

“Our kids are disappointed about the outcome,” Taylor said. “These kids came down here tonight to win, and they gave it everything they had. If we have a couple of plays go the other way, it’s a different game. Our kids absolutely, worked their tails off this week at practice. We played extremely hard, and found out a lot about ourselves tonight.”

Andalusia will take on Escambia County next Friday night for homecoming.