In the "Battle of the Knights", it was a good night for host team WW King Academy and running back John Roy.
Roy accounted all of his team's points in the 16-8 victory over Faith Christian in the SCISA 8-man season-opener. He scored twice, including the game-winner with 8:16 left, and had 2, 2-point conversions in finishing with 130 rushing yards.
Defensively, Clayton Turner had 22 total tackles, 16 solo, and Drake Amick had the game-clinching 4th down tackle of Josh Smalls. 
"Very proud of our guys the way they responded," WW King Academy head coach Zach Matthews said. "I told them before the game we don't know what's going to happen. First game out in a long time."
Roy capped a 6 minute, 37 second opening drive with a 21-yard touchdown run. After his 2-point conversion run, WW King held an 8-0 lead through halftime.
After both teams exchanged turnovers, Faith Christian tied the game on a 3-yard touchdown run and 2-point conversion by quarterback Ethan Hayes.
The ensuing kickoff was short and fielded by Ben Sauls who returned it past midfield. A long run by Roy set up his 2nd score from 12 yards and 2-point conversion for the lead.
Faith Christian was forced to turn over the football on downs with 1:41 left. WW King managed to run out the clock for its 1st season-opening win since 2016.
"They got a taste of what victory is like," Matthews said. "The last few years have been a struggle for us and when I say struggle, I don't mean from our guys. They've put in the work. They've worked hard these last 2 years. These guys are out here, they're seasoned, they know what to do now and it's just all about if we can execute and make it happen."
Afterwards, the 2 teams lined up apart and faced each other in fellowship rather than shaking hands. It was part of the various safety measures imposed by SCISA in light of the pandemic.
This included cheerleaders wearing face masks on the sidelines, fans seated apart and also required to wear masks and WW King players having their own drink cases during timeouts.
WW King heads to Estill to face Patrick Henry. It's the 1st meeting between the 2 teams since the 2017 playoffs, a game won by the Patriots 60-48.
Andrew Jackson Academy 48, Northside Christian 16
The Crusaders played a close 1st half against the defending SCISA 8-man champions.
After falling behind 18-0 in the 1st quarter, Northside Christian responded with 16 straight points to close the gap at halftime. The Warriors responded with 30 unanwered points in the 2nd half to win their 13th straight game and 59th in the past 60 contests.
The Crusaders will play their next 2 games on the road, starting Sept. 4 at Newberry Academy.