In a battle of the top two teams in the AISA poll, the second-ranked Fort Dale Eagles defeated Monroe 14-6 with a dominating defensive performance.

Although the Eagles don’t have the points to show for it, the offense racked up 334 yards, driving inside the 15-yard line three times without scoring.

“We didn’t execute as well on offense as we would have liked, but the defense played really well,” head coach Speed Sampley said.

The defense held Monroe to 91 yards of offense – 21 yards and one first down in the first half.

As the first quarter was winding down, Hunter Armstrong scored on a six-yard run and Sean McKeague added the extra point to make it 7-0.

Daniel Nolan added a three-yard run to make the score 14-0 at halftime.

Monroe’s lone score came on a one-yard run in the second half.

Overall team health was a concern before the game, and the Eagles had eight players not make the trip, including several starters.

Nolan led the team with 26 carries for 146 yards, while Armstrong racked up 64 on the ground.

Armstrong was also 11-20 for 118 yards through the air, with Stephen Till and Luke Hutcheson each catching four passes for 45 and 44 yards, respectively.

Daniel Lowe led the defense with 10 tackles, and Cooper Lewis added eight.

Next week, the Eagles travel to Lee-Scott for a region matchup that will decide FDA’s seeding in the playoffs.

“Next week is the big week, and it’s the biggest game of the season so far,” Sampley said.