The Hope Christian Eagles took to the road for the first away game of the season Friday and come home victorious with a 38-28 win over Franklin Christian Academy (Tenn.)

The Eagles used an explosive running game to seal the win, with 360 yards coming on the ground.

Hope finished the game with 436 total yards.

The Eagles and Franklin played to a 14-14 tie in the first half before Hope took the lead, 22-14, in the second quarter and never looked back.

The Eagles added one more score in the third quarter, as did Franklin, before Hope put the final points on the board in the fourth quarter.

Offensively for Hope, Zac Hughes had a team-high 253 total yards and four touchdowns, included a kickoff return for a score.

“The offensive line did a much better job of blocking this week,” Hope head coach Mark Rettig said.

Luke Mahan also scored a touchdown, while Caleb Rettig averaged 6 yards per carry.

Defensively, Brock Boyd and Karry Jones each had eight tackles apiece, while Rettig finished with six.

The defense finished with two fumble recoveries, four sacks, one interception and one blocked punt.

“It was definitely a defensive game for us,” Rettig said. “The defense did their job again.”

The Eagles are scheduled to have an off week this week and then play cross-town rival Evangel Christian of Alabaster Sept. 11, although a game could be scheduled for Sept. 4.

An announcement regarding the possible Sept. 4 game will be made Monday.