RAYVILLE, La. &045; Despite a number of injuries to key players that would have made most teams pretty much fold the tent and get ready for next year, Adams Christian was able to make the playoffs for the second straight season because of their never-give-up attitude.

That attitude, and a defense that put the clamps on Riverfield in the second half, helped the Rebels overcome a 17-7 deficit midway through the second quarter as they rallied for a 35-17 win in the District 3-AA finale for both teams Friday night.

&uot;We played flat in the first half,&uot; ACCS head coach Keith Walters said. &uot;I thought the second half our players played with heart and determination.&uot;

With the win, the Rebels clinched their first winning season since 1989 as they improved to 6-4 overall and finished district play at 3-1. But it wasn’t easy.

After the Rebels took a 7-0 lead less than a minute into the game on a 8-yard touchdown run by Heath Williams, Riverfield (5-5, 0-4) scored the next 17 points.

After Williams’ scoring run, Carson Thompson returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. James Doughty had a 15-yard scoring run with 1:58 to go in the opening quarter and Tyler Ogden’s 17-yard field goal after one of two goal-line stands by the Rebel defense gave the Raiders a 17-7 lead with 7:32 remaining in the second quarter.

ACCS responded with a 30-yard touchdown run by Brock Vines that cut Riverfield’s lead to 17-14 at halftime. The second half, however, was dominated by the Rebels.

While the defense kept the Raiders’ offense scoreless more than the last 24 minutes, the Rebels’ offense seemed to clicking on all cylinders.

&uot;We didn’t make any adjustments&uot; defensively, Walters said. &uot;We did a better job on the quarterback. We tackled a lot better.&uot;

Timmy Foster threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Ray Simpson with 7:52 to go in the third quarter and Williams scored from 1 yard out late in that quarter to give ACCS a 28-17 lead. Vines put the game away with his 21-yard touchdown run with 3:50 to go in the game.

&uot;Offensively, we went to our power game,&uot; Walters said. &uot;The offensive line did a good job in the second half. Timmy did a good job running the offense. We got off the ball real well. We lost Lee Dellinger midway through the second quarter with a knee injury. Hopefully, it’s not too bad.&uot;

The Rebels still have a tough road game on their hands this Friday night when the play Brookhaven Academy, which narrowly held on to defeat Trinity Episcopal 33-32.

After that it’s a Class AA South State first-round matchup at Centreville, which upset No. 2 Oak Forest 27-6 Friday night to clinch the District 4-AA championship.

&uot;I’m proud of (Centreville) coach (Bill) Hurst,&uot; Walters said. &uot;We played them in the first week, but that seems like a long time ago.&uot;

Brookhaven Academy 33, Trinity Episcopal 32

BROOKHAVEN &045; Despite four touchdowns and 170 yards rushing from Stevan Ridley, the Saints (5-5, 2-4) could not stop the pass-and-catch duo of Price and Stewart Sessums, who hooked up for three touchdown passes while Stewart Sessums had a huge 75-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter as the Cougars held on in a District 4-AA game.

An ineffective passing game on offense and a lack of stopping the pass on defense as well as problems with the point-after conversions were costly. Ridley scored on a 1-yard run as time expired, but the two-point conversion run was stopped by the Cougars (8-2, 4-2), who ended their two-game losing streak.

WCCA 26, Huntington 0

FERRIDAY, La. &045; There was not much in the way of a letdown for the Rams (5-5) one week after winning the District 6-A championship as they scored 14 points in the second quarter and 12 in the third quarter. Ruston Cado scored on runs of 6 and 9 yards for the Rams, while their defense held the Hounds (3-7) out of the end zone.

Now it’s on to the playoffs for WCCA, who will host District 7-A runner-up Tensas in a Class A South State first round matchup this Friday.

Claiborne Academy 39, Tensas 7

HAYNESVILLE, La. &045; The Chiefs (6-4) had a good mix of rushing and passing yards, but it wasn’t nearly enough as the Rebels (7-3) racked up nearly 300 total rushing yards, led by Claudell Bell, who had nearly 120 yards on just four carries, and the offense took advantage of five Tensas turnovers.

Now the Chiefs have to put this game behind them and prepare for their first-round playoff game at WCCA this Friday.