NATCHEZ — The Adams County Christian School defense was overwhelmed Friday night by a Brookhaven Academy offense that could do not wrong in the first half.

The Cougars scored on their first five possessions of the game using a balanced attack that kept the Rebels off balance.

The ACCS defense stiffened in the second half, and the offense managed to put some drives together, but in the end Brookhaven went home with a 35-19 victory.

“They were the better football team,” ACCS head coach David King said. “They have an outstanding offense. The fact that we held them to 35 is pretty good.”

King said the loss was especially difficult when he saw the disappointment on his seniors’ faces after losing their final home game.

“These guys played as hard as they can, and we played about as well as we can in the second half,” King said. “The future is bright here, and these seniors have been wonderful to be around this season.”

Brookhaven the three-headed offensive monster of quarterback Gage Posey, wide receiver Seth Rushing and running back Landon Nettles to move the ball with ease.

Posey threw for 263 yards on 12 of 14 passing and two touchdowns. Rushing caught both of those touchdowns and caught seven total passes for 184 yards. Nettles finished the game with 86 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

Brookhaven led 15-0 after one quarter of play after a Nettles touchdown run, a touchdown pass from Posey to Rushing and a two-point run by Matthew Evans.

ACCS answered with an 8-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. The two-point conversion failed, and the Rebels trailed 15-6.

But the momentum did not last long for the home team. Brookhaven scored on its next offensive play when Posey found Rushing on a 67-yard touchdown strike. Kevin Nettles’ kick made the score 22-6.

A turnover on downs gave Brookhaven the ball back at the ACCS 40-yard line, and Brookhaven scored in five plays on a 2-yard run by Posey. On the Cougars’ next drive, Landon Nettles scored on a 9-yard touchdown run with 1:26 left in the first half. The extra point put Brookhaven up 35-6.

ACCS managed to put a drive together to end the first half of play, and Brandon Ross found Shane Pollan on a 13-yard touchdown pass with just 8 seconds to go to make the halftime score 35-12.

The Rebels finished with 274 yard of offense. Running back Trey Fleming had 85 on the ground, and Wells finished with 72. Ross completed 7-of-12 passes for 53 yards and a touchdown.

ACCS got the lone score of the second half when Tristan Beach found the end zone on a 3-yard run late in the fourth quarter.

King said the Rebels showed heart by playing hard in the second half and not allowing Brookhaven to score again.

ACCS (3-7, 0-2) will have to show the same kind of heart to prepare for the final game of the season next week when the team travels to Columbia Academy.

“We just have to keep getting better,” King said. “We want to keep getting these young guys some experience and help these seniors play their careers out. It’s emotional, but we have to keep going and keep the kids playing hard.”