By Chris Megginson | For the Reporter

ALABASTER – Playing at home on its 8-man football field for the first time in two years, Evangel Christian School put away Lyman Ward Military Academy quickly on Friday night as it celebrated Homecoming with a 69-0 win at the ECS Sports Complex.

“It was good because we got to play a lot of your kids in the second half. It was time for us. We hadn’t had one of those games all year,” ECS head coach Tim Smith said. “We finally played really well on both sides of the ball to start the game. We started fast.”

Lightning senior William O’Neal opened the game with a 30-yard touchdown on the first play. The play set the tone for the night, as Evangel racked up more than 150 yards rushing and 123 yards passing on its 80-yard 8-man football field.

Kamden Smith led the Lightning’s rushing attack with 61 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. Will Ferrell followed with more than 30 yards rushing, scoring twice on touchdown runs of 8 and 23 yards, the later coming as the final score of the first half.

Tyler Henderson completed all five passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed four times for 12 yards, including a 1-yard keeper to score in the first quarter.

Evangel led 28-0 after one quarter, and then added 20 points in the second quarter to lead 48-0 at halftime. Coleby Henderson caught both of his brother’s touchdown passes and finished with 71 yards on three receptions.

ECS played with a running clock once it went up 41-0 midway in the second quarter.

Nathan Brasher and Will Parker also had touchdowns for Evangel.

Theo Mangos led the ECS defense with eight tackles, followed by John Lloyd’s seven, which all happened in the first half. Samuel Graham also had seven stops and Davis Windsor had six. Evangel picked off four passes in the game. Coleby Henderson had two interceptions, Chase Callahan had one and freshman Noah Murdaugh added a pick in the fourth quarter.

The win makes Evangel 4-0 in the Alabama Christian School Conference and is the Lightning’s fourth straight to close its regular season. The playoffs await.

“The kids are so excited. We all are. We’ve talked about it all year. We want to get to that championship game, and we’re one step closer,” Smith said. “(Friday’s crowd) was probably the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of. It was packed. It was exciting. The fans were already filling while we were warming up. Next week, we need that sea of blue again.”

Evangel (7-2) will remain home Oct. 27 to open the Alabama Christian School Conference playoffs at the ECS Sports Complex. The Lightning will host Hope Christian School in the first round.