No. 12 Peyton Thomas led the Bobcats in passing against Sumiton Christian, throwing for 114 yards and two touchdowns

By Bart Moss for the FCT

Phil Campbell scored three touchdowns in the first half, took a 19-0 lead into the locker room and held on for its first win of the season, beating Sumiton Christian 33-21.

The Bobcats (1-1) used a balanced offensive attack led by the passing of Peyton Thomas, who threw for 114 yards and two touchdowns, and the rushing of Colby Baker, who rushed for 78 yards and a score.

The Bobcats held Sumiton Christian to only 217 yards of total offense.

Phil Campbell coach Ryan Swinney was pleased with the way his team played, rebounding from last week’s loss to Falkville.

“I thought we played well tonight,” said Swinney. “We still have some things we need to correct, like costly penalties and turnovers. All in all, I think we made progress. I actually thought we played better last week in the loss to Falkville. We just need to keep getting better each week and give ourselves a chance to win.”

Tristan Godsey scored the game’s first touchdown on a 16-yard run. Thomas then passed to Godsey for 14 yards and a touchdown, and Trey Nalls ran for a 6-yard score, making it 19-0 at the half.

The Bobcats got inside the five-yard line once more in the first half, but the penalties Swinney referred to helped keep Phil Campbell out of the endzone.

Sumiton scored early in the third, but Thomas connected with Godsey for a 29-yard touchdown pass. Thomas scored on a 12-yard run in the fourth before Yates scored on runs of 1 and 3 yards for Sumiton.

Phil Campbell will take on Mars Hill Bible Friday in Florence.