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In an in-county rivalry contest that remained low-scoring until the second half, it was the Red Level Tigers that came out on top, dealing a shut-out over the Pleasant Home Eagles, 25-0.

In a game that got chippy at times and even saw several players ejected on both sides, the Tiger defense held the Eagles running attack to minimal yardage. Meanwhile Red Level’s running game seemed to get stronger as the game progressed.

Red Level Head Coach Kenny Skipper was happy with his team’s play, although frustrated with the circumstances on the field at times.

“We played a lot better up front than we have been. We were able to get the ball in the hands of our playmakers. Javen (Poindexter) had a good night. Micah (Wright) ran the ball hard all night long. Koltin (Barlow) played much better this week. I proud of the way our kids played, especially in this type of environment. It’s ridiculous that the officials let so much stuff go on for so long,” Skipper said.

Pleasant Home Head Coach Cody Sellers said his team’s performance was disappointing, but was proud to see some of his players step up.

“I’m proud of our younger kids who got the opportunity to play and stepped up for us,” Sellers said. “But, we’re disappointed that we had others who did not respond well, both physically and mentally. We’ll deal with that and work to help them become better young men.”

The Tigers received a gift early in the game. After forcing a punt on three plays, the Red Level punt hit a player and traveled backwards where it was downed at the 6-yard line. Three plays later Poindexter pushed the ball into the end zone. Ben Carroll’s extra point gave Red Level a 7-0 lead with 8:14 to go in the first.

Pleasant Home would have its most successful drive of the game on the following possession, getting all the way to the Red Level 11-yard line, but penalties set them back and they ultimately turned the ball over on downs.

The next score would not come until the beginning of the second half. Red Level took possession on the opening kickoff and Barlow returned it to midfield. A 17-yard run by Wright, with a facemask penalty added, set the Tigers up at the 15. From there, Barlow found Poindexter open who took the ball into the end zone. The point-after was no good, making the score 13-0.

The next score came early in the fourth period on a drive that several players for each team did not get to finish due to ejections. Wright was a workhorse on the drive, including one carry that went for 21 yards. The drive ended with Barlow once again finding Poindexter, this time for a 15-yard score. A two-point conversion attempt failed, making the score 19-0 with 8:21 to go.

Pleasant Home’s next drive ended with an interception. A personal foul on the play moved the ball into excellent field position for the Tigers at the 27-yard line. On fourth down, Barlow once again went to Poindexter who picked up 21 yards before stepping out at the 2. Barlow finished the drive on a keeper, setting up the final score of 25-0.

Red Level (1-1, 1-1) will host Houston County (0-3, 0-2) next week while Pleasant Home (1-1, 0-1) hosts McKenzie (1-2, 0-2).