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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Isabella High School moved to 4-1 on the season after a 33-6 win over Billingsley High School at home on Sept. 29.

After a slow start to the game for both teams and no score through the first one and a half quarters, Isabella quarterback Eli Kendrick opened the scoring with a five-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter. The senior scampered down the field for a score later in the quarter, going 54 yards for the touchdown and finding Dre’Von Lee for the two-point conversion to make it 14-0.

Kendrick had 305 total yards with a 130 on the ground on 12 carries. He threw for 175 yards on 10-for-17 passing and completed a pass to six different receivers, and four of those caught multiple passes.

The Mustangs got the ball back with 21 seconds left till halftime. They took a shot, and Kendrick found Dawson Edwards for a 40-yard connection as time expired to send Isabella into the break up 20-0.

“A slow start, but (Billingsley) is a good football team, and we knew they were going to bring a lot of different things on defense, which they did that made it tough,” Isabella head coach Tate Leonard said. “I do think we settled down and figured it out, and I thought the defense played well and the offense figured it out.”

Garrett Price carried the load in the second half for Isabella scoring two touchdowns from 11 and 39 yards out. He had 67 yards on five carries.

Billingsley did get into the end zone in the second half as quarterback Landon Jones found Javaris Livingston for a 10-yard connection. Nathan Gilmore led the Bears’ defense in tackles with 11.

“We are really close to being a real good defense. We are just a couple plays away here and there, but we are getting better,” Leonard said. “It is a constant improvement, we are 4-1 at the halfway point … The region is getting really tough and we have a big one next week where we will have to play really well.”

Isabella (4-1) hosts B.B. Comer High School in a pivotal AHSAA Class 2A Region 4 clash on Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. Billingsley (2-3) travels to Central High School-Hayneville on the same night and time.