Special teams were the difference as Red Level fell 17-6 at home to Washington County on Friday evening.

In the first half, the Tigers’ defense held Washington County on its first offensive possession, but Red Level went for a punt block and was called for roughing the punter. Later in the drive, Washington County scored to go up 7-0.

Late in the second half, Red Level snapped the ball over its punter’s head and Washington County’s defense recovered. The visitors took advantage of the strong field position to kick a field goal and go up 10-0 before halftime.

“I thought it was two evenly matched teams,” Red Level coach Tony Ingram said. “We just had two big miscues on special teams and those cost us.”

Red Level’s Raheem Bullock opened the second half by returning the kickoff 80 yards for the Tigers’ only points of the night. Washington County added a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

“It was 10-6 with two minutes left to go in the game,” Ingram said. “Defensively, we couldn’t ask for a better effort. My kids held a good offense to just 117 yards. Offensively, we just couldn’t get it done tonight.”

Red Level (1-5, 0-4 in Class 2A, Region 1) travels to Mobile Christian next Friday.