The Thorsby Rebels bounced back nicely from its first loss of the season with a dominating 47-12 region victory at home against Billingsley Oct. 20.

“We had a tough loss last week, but we were able to come back out and pick up right where we left off,” Thorsby head coach Daryl Davis said.

It was an emphatic win, in which the Rebels (6-1, 4-1) dictated the game from the start with its physical play.

“We’ve been physical, and that’s been our momentum,” Davis said. “We wanted to get on them [Billingsley] early and that’s what they did.”

Billingsley (3-5, 3-3) entered the game on a three-game winning streak and an offense that was on fire.

However, Thorsby’s defense stymied the Bears’ explosive attack and did not give up a single point until the final seconds of the third quarter, when the second team defense took the field.

Christian Fortner and Jacob Lockhart each ran for multiple touchdowns in the game and was quite the combo in backfield.

Having someone like Lockhart in the backfield, who has the potential to take any handoff the distance, is something that Fortner does not take for granted.

“It’s real nice, and it makes my job a lot easier,” Fortner said.

Success running the ball early for Fortner, opened up the opportunity for him to take shots down the field in the passing game.

Thorsby led 28-0 at the half and quickly added to the lead on the opening possession of the second half, which was capped off by Fortner’s third rushing score of the game.

As the game wore on, whoever ran the ball seemed to find success, thanks in large part to the offensive line creating the necessary running lanes for big gains into the Billingsley secondary.

“Our line did a really nice job of blocking for me and setting up the run,” Fortner said.

Next up for Thorsby, is a road matchup with Keith on Oct. 27 to decide whether the Rebels play host in the first round of the playoffs, while Billingsley hosts Aliceville at Marbury High School.