BELDEN - It would have been very easy for the Tupelo Christian Prep Eagles to have a negative attitude beginning the third quarter Friday trailing the Biggersville Lions by three touchdowns. Not the case.

The Eagles put together a team effort in the second half to come back and defeat the Lions 25-18 in Region 1-1A play for a historic victory for the program.

"That was a bad first half, but I felt like we were so close," TCPS head coach Aubrey Boren said. "At halftime, we just asked the team to continue to give everything they had.

"The defense got better and the offense found a way to get the ball in the end zone."

With this season being the Eagles (2-2, 1-1) first as a full-fledged member of the Mississippi High School Activities Association, the victory was the first ever in region play for the Eagles. But it took a resolute effort in the second half.

The comeback began with the Eagles defense as linebacker Jason Maloney returned an interception 50 yards for a score midway through the third quarter.

TCPS then capitalized on a Biggersville special teams miscue to set up a short field. On the first play from scrimmage, Ron Lavigne scampered 14 yards for the touchdown, and with a two-point conversion, the Eagles had pulled within 18-15.

The fireworks in the third period were not over as the TCPS offense put together a conventional scoring drive. Running seven plays highlighted by a 38-yard run by quarterback Andrew Soper, a 25-yard field goal by Hunter Chrisman tied the contest at 18-18.

After the TCPS defense held Biggersville (2-2, 1-1) on downs deep in Eagles territory, the response was an 85-yard, game-winning drive. It was an eventful possession as Chrisman made a 37-yard field goal with 4 minutes, 59 seconds to play in the contest.

But Biggersville was called for running into the holder, and Boren decided to take points off the scoreboard. It worked out as Soper scored on an 11-yard keeper with 4:17 remaining to give the Eagles the lead.

"There was a lot of hesitation to take the points off," Boren said. "But I have great confidence in our coaching staff, and we had the momentum at the time."

All of Biggersville's scoring was in the first half, first on a 54-yard pass from Marshall Cook to Darrian Barnett. Cook followed that later in the first period with a 2-yard run, and Darrius Carroll scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter.

Soper rushed for 170 yards for TCPS, while Carroll managed 120 rushing for Biggersville.