It was a rough start to the 2017 season for the Billingsley football program after a 53-7 defeat at the hands of Flomaton High School on Sept. 1.

The game was played at Jemison High School as a result of the Bears’ bleacher situation, but several Billingsley fans still made the trip to show their support for the team.

Billingsley held their own early on, especially at the defensive end, but Flomaton still managed two first quarter touchdowns and led after one.

Trailing 21-0 midway through the second quarter, Raymond Cutler picked off a pass, as Flomaton took another deep shot at the end zone.

Cutler showed his speed in the secondary and ran stride for stride with the receiver and undercut the ball in the air for a highlight reel turnover.

However, the offense could not turn the takeaway into momentum and punted the ball away yet again.

Flomaton went on to score before halftime and Billingsley trailed 27-0 at the break.

The long night continued for the Bears in the second half, which proved to be much of the same.

Billingsley’s lack of depth came into play as the game wore on, as the defense surrendered 53 points to Flomaton on the night.

Malik Callens started at quarterback and carried the ball 15 times for a team-high 61 yards on the ground. He also scored the Bears’ lone touchdown in the second half.

Cutler showed moments of explosiveness in the run game and Taylor Arrington provided a nice change of pace in the backfield. Arrington powered his way for 58 yards on 18 carries.