The day Adams County Christian School’s Julian Wilson and Trinity Episcopal’s Kris Genous met during their eighth grade year, the two knew they were meant to be friends.

Both attended school in Vidalia at the time, and Wilson said it is hard to forget their first interaction.

“It was like the first day of football practice in junior high, and the field was wet,” Wilson said. “He tried to jump the fence, but he ended up ripping his new pants. Everybody was laughing at him, but I knew that guy had to be funny.”

On Thursday night, however, it was Genous watching Wilson score two rushing touchdowns and nearly returning an interception for another score as ACCS (5-1) defeated Trinity (1-4) in convincing fashion, 41-12.

Despite his team falling, Genous said it was good to see his close friend shine.

“It’s better to play against someone good than someone bad,” he said. “I told him we weren’t going to go easy on him, but they are a good team. It was fun.”

Wilson’s first score came on a 9-yard run in the first quarter. He then added a 20-yard score early in the second.

On the ensuing Saints drive, Wilson picked off a pass by spinning around and grabbing the ball on the tips of his fingers. He retuned the interception 26 yards before being stopped just short of the goal line. He also added three tackles on defense.

“He is a tough kid who has great lateral vision,” ACCS coach David King said. “He has a will to do the best.”

King said he was pleased with his team’s win and also happy to see Wilson play well against a rival team.

“It’s always fun to see these kids play against each other,” King said. “We did what we had to do, and Trinity has bigger and better days ahead of them. I fully expect them to not lose another ball game.”

After falling to teams in higher classifications, Saints coach Graham Roberts agreed that he is ready to get back down to MAIS Class A.

“When these kids get a chance to compete against each other, I’m sure it’s a very fun experience. But, I’m just excited to start playing some teams our size,” he said.

Going forward, Trinity’s Dee Fleming — another close friend of Wilson’s — said the Rebels should be unstoppable.

“It’s not only that I hope they do, but I think they will win a state championship,” Fleming said. “They are very good.”

DyKevis Ford also contributed to the ACCS victory, scoring on a 50-yard run and a 71-yard punt return.

Caden Gillespie caught a 15-yard pass from Jacob McDaniel, and Demarlon Lewis added a 1-yard run to round out the scoring for the Rebels.

Jared Simpson led Trinity, catching two touchdown passes from Sterling Yarbrough on grabs of 58 and 9 yards.

ACCS is set to host Silliman Institue next Friday, while the Saints are scheduled to travel to Prairie View Academy.