Coosa Valley celebrated homecoming on Friday night with a 20-7 victory Friday night over Dixie Academy. With the victory, Coosa Valley improves to 2-2 on the season and 2-1 in region play.

The first quarter was a scoreless affair that saw both teams commit numerous penalties and turn the ball over to kill drives.

“We would get something going and then we would have a penalty,” said Coosa Valley coach Vince DiLorenzo.

Coosa Valley was able to put the first points on the board with 8:38 remaining in the first half as Phillip Neal connected with John Bullen for a 25-yard touchdown pass. Neal added the extra point to give Coosa Valley a 7-0 halftime lead.

The Rebels would use defense to set up their first score of the second half. Tanner Wood picked off a Dixie pass and two plays later, John Bullen would take the handoff and go 38 yards for a Rebel touchdown.

On Coosa Valley’s next possession, they used a balanced attack down the field that ended with a Phillip Neal 1-yard run for a touchdown. Neal added the extra point to give Coosa Valley a 20-0 third quarter lead.

Dixie Academy added drama to the game late as they were able to recover a muffed punt at the 5-yard line and punch it in with 1:22 left in the game. Dixie was able to recover an onside kick but the threat was ended when Hunter Winslett picked off a pass for the Rebels.

DiLorenzo said he was proud of the way his team responded after a loss to Cornerstone last week.

“The way we won is big,” DiLorenzo said. “It was 0-0 at halftime. It was a really difficult game. I would rather learn from winning than learn from losing.”