GAYLESVILLE – The Gaylesville Trojans took out a month’s worth of frustration Friday against the Coosa Christian Conquerors. The Trojans built a 28-point halftime advantage and cruised to their first victory of the season, 40-13.

“It’s a relief,” Gaylesville coach Brian Clowdis said. “You’re sitting there at 0-4 and you wonder what the kids might do, and they did what we thought they’d do. Some of our younger kids grew up tonight. Now we have a little confidence and that can go a long way.”

Senior tailback John David Jennings led the charge for the Trojans (1-4, 1-3 Class 1A, Region 7). He tallied 340 yards on 27 carries and scored four touchdowns.

“The funny thing about J.D. is he’s not a big guy, but he can carry the ball 20 times a game because he’s a tough guy,” Clowdis said. “He had a good night.”

The Trojan defense took care of the rest, limiting the Conquerors (0-5, 0-5) to just 126 total yards (99 rushing, 27 passing).

Gable Lawson led the unit with 12 tackles, including two for lost yardage, a sack and a fumble recovery. Dylan Mitchell made six tackles, recovered a fumble, blocked a punt and returned it for a 40-yard touchdown. Logan Hurley had eight tackles and Matthew Herrin came away with seven stops. Dylan Cavin finished with five tackles and had a sack.

Gaylesville hosts Jacksonville Christian on Friday.