The W.S. Neal Eagles fell to the No. 2-ranked Jackson Aggies on the road Friday night in a contest that ended 45-6 for the Aggies.

“Our kids played extremely hard tonight. We were the more physical team tonight. And that’s a big step for us, because the first two games, we were not the more physical team,” Eagle coach Doug Hoehn said. “Jackson’s a very good football team, but we were more physical than they were.”

A young Eagle team dashed the Aggies’ hopes of a shutout with a 42-yard pass from Dylan Godwin to Ashton Elliot with 9.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

“We’re a young football team trying to learn football,” Hoehn said. “We rolled out all together. I think we grew up a lot tonight. That’s the best team we’ve played bar none this year. They’re head and shoulders above anyone we’ve played this year. “

Penalties and turnovers hurt the Eagles early in the ballgame. After giving up 38 points in the first half, the Eagles’ defense held the Aggies to only 7 points late in the fourth quarter.

“I think the defense played tough tonight,” said Hoehn. “They got a touchdown there at the end. We muffed the punt and gave them the ball inside the 10-yard line. Those things happen, and we’ve got to stop them from happening. And when we do, we’re going to be a better football team.”

The Eagles put 251 total yards on the board, with 166 of those in the air and 85 on the ground.

Dylan Godwin was 17 for 33 for 166 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Ashton Elliot led the Eagles’ receiving with five catches for 70 yards and one touchdown. Hunter Mullins had three catches for 51 yards; DJ Hodges had three catches for 20 yards. Josiah Nettles had three catches for nine yards, and Keith Bradley also had three catches for a total of 16 yards.

Hunter Mullins led the Eagles in rushing with five carries for 44 yards. Dylan Godwin had 14 carries for a total of 24 yards. Marquese Banks carried the ball 11 times for 16 yards.

The Eagles will meet the Escambia County Blue Devils next week at home. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.