The Oak Mountain Eagles started off slowly in their homecoming game against E.B. Erwin Friday night, scoring only a 36-yard field goal by Eagles’ kicker Ryan Shoemaker that put Oak Mountain up 3-0.

Three quarters later, however, the Eagles had picked up the pace and soundly defeated Erwin, 48-0, in the team’s final regular season game.

&8220;We didn’t play exceptionally well,&8221; Oak Mountain head coach Jerry Hood said of the win. &8220;Richie Fordham and Nick Anderson were decent for us, but we definitely have a lot of work to do before we can feel prepared for the playoffs.&8221;

Fordham completed 10-of-16 passes for 179 yards on the night and completed a touchdown pass to John Cubelic in the second quarter.

&8220;Cubelic and running back James Hope have also made big plays for us,&8221; Hood said. &8220;We’re going to count on them to step up in the playoffs.&8221;

Nick Anderson was the top performer for the evening, catching four passes for 105 yards and rushing for two scores on runs of 14 and 3 yards.

The Eagles took a 24-0 lead into the second half and received offense from some unusual places in the last two quarters. Joel Holmes scored from one yard out for the Eagles, and Tyler Patton added a touchdown on a five-yard run. Kicker Kyle Eller replaced starter Shoemaker and kicked a 24-yard field goal for his team’s final score as well as two extra points.

The Eagles can now turn their attention to John Carroll (4-6) as they prepare to host the Cavaliers in the first round 6A playoffs