By CHRIS MEGGINSON / For the Reporter

JACKSON – The Kingwood Christian Lions jumped on the board early but were unable to counter a late first-half surge by Jackson Academy to drop their first non-region game of the season, 30-12. The loss drops Kingwood to 0-4 for the first time since 2009.

“We just can’t lay down when bad things happen. We have to fight through adversity. If we can’t do that it’s going to be a very long season,” Kingwood coach Sheldon Ward said.

Quarterback Chase Inabinett put the Lions on the board with a 7-yard touchdown run, but the 2-point try failed after a bad snap, giving Kingwood an early 6-0 lead.

Jackson countered with a touchdown run, but Inabinett regained the Lions’ lead midway in the second quarter with a 55-yard pass to Kerry Thompson.

The Eagles answered twice before halftime, give Jackson a 22-12 lead at the break. Kingwood’s defense held tight in the second half, not allowing a score until about three minutes to play on a long run.

Despite dropping to 0-4 on the season, Ward saw mentioned the early spark on offense as one of the Lions’ improvements.

“Early, we played well offensively. That was a first,” Ward said. “The defense played well all game. We made a few mistakes, but we’re getting a lot better defensively.”

Kingwood (0-4) travels to Montgomery, Alabama next Friday to take on Evangel Christian Academy.