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The Huntland High School Hornets lost to the Summertown Eagles 20-6 at Loretto High Friday in a preseason jamboree scrimmage.

Each of the scrimmages at the jamboree consisted of two 12-minute periods with standard timing rules.

The Hornets took an early lead in the contest, but the Eagles scored three touchdowns in the last seven minutes of the exhibition matchup to give them a loss to close out their preseason schedule.

Huntland head football coach Kermit Reed said his team showed some improvements on the field with a few issues still needing to be worked on as the start of the 2023 season approaches.

“We cleaned up some things and got better offensively. We made a few mistakes with a penalty and a fumble that cost us with the older bunch. However, the aggression and the activity were good,” he said.

The Hornets picked up one first down on the opening possession before being forced to punt the ball away.

However, the Hornets immediately got the ball back as Lashawn Kimmons picked off a Summertown pass at midfield and returned it to the Eagles’ 27-yard line.

The Hornets got on the board a few plays later as quarterback Evan Keller threw a long pass to Kimmons who hauled it in for a touchdown with 7:20 left in the first period to make it a 6-0 game.

The Eagles punted the ball on their next drive to give the Hornets the ball at the 50-yard line, and the Hornets got inside of Summertown’s 20-yard line on the ensuing possession, but a lost fumble negated the scoring opportunity and gave the ball back to the Eagles.

The Eagles then went on a 92-yard drive that took up almost eight minutes of game time before scoring on a touchdown pass and adding an extra point to take a 7-6 lead with 7:12 to go.

Both teams rotated their backups into the game for the remainder of the scrimmage with the Hornets punting on their first possession with the second string in.

The Eagles then steadily moved the ball down the field before scoring a touchdown on the ground to grow the deficit to 13-6 with 1:45 remaining.

The Hornets gave up a defensive touchdown on their next drive as an interception by the Eagles at midfield was returned for a score in the final minute.

The Hornets weren’t able to answer back in the time remaining as they lost by 14.

The Hornets will open their 2023 season on Friday at home against Whitwell High School. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.