CAMDEN — Mental mistakes hurt the Escambia County Blue Devils in a 14-0 loss to Wilcox-Central.

The loss moves ECHS to 0-3 on the year and 0-2 in Class 4A, Region 1 play. Coach Lev Holly gave credit to the opponents at the end of a sloppy game.

“You have to give credit to Wilcox,” he said. “They were more prepared than we were.”

Sophomore quarterback Gaetyn Thames started for the second-straight game, completing eight of 12 passes for 89 yards, but due to pressure in the backfield, he only ran for 14 yards. Fred Wiggins gained 37 yards on 12 carries to lead the team’s ground attack.

The Jaguars pounded the Blue Devils on the ground, with leading rusher Jarvis Ross gaining 122 yards on 15 carries and the team totaling 166 yards on 27 carries.

The Blue Devils’ opening drive ended when they failed to convert on fourth-and-six from their own 41-yard line.

The Jaguars scored on their first drive of the game on a 16-yard run by Ross. The snap went over the kicker’s head on the extra point attempt and Wilcox led 6-0 with 7:07 left in the first quarter.

A sack of Jaguar quarterback Clay Cole by Travon Williams helped ECHS get the ball back at its own 21-yard line.

Wiggins ran the ball for a 6-yard gain before Thames connected with Devonte Williams for 33 yards. Wiggins then gained 19 yards on a run, but the drive ended on a Thames fumble that was recovered by the Jaguars.

Wilcox punted on the ensuing drive and the Blue Devils took possession at their own 23-yard line. The next ECHS drive ended on a controversial call, which was ruled a fumble. Wilcox fumbled on the next drive to give ECHS the ball at their own 15-yard line.

Thames advanced the ball on runs of 19 and 3 yards, respectively, and connected on a 31-yard pass to Williams, but the drive ended when a pass to Darian Staples was fumbled and recovered by Wilcox. The Jaguars led 6-0 at the half.

ECHS tried an onside kick, but the player that recovered was ruled out-of-bounds and possession was given to Wilcox. A delay of game penalty gave the Jaguars second-and-20 from the 35-yard line, but a fumble ended the drive.

The Blue Devils took over and Wiggins gained 11 yards on three runs, but a sack of Thames on a fourth-and-two from the Jaguars 18-yard line stalled the drive.

The ensuing drive for Wilcox dripped 6 minutes off the clock in the third quarter, but ended with a interception at the 2-yard line by ECHS’s Carlos McNeil.

ECHS punted on the ensuing drive and the Jaguars drive then ended with help from a Devonte Lee sack of Julian Chambliss for a loss of 15 yards.

The Blue Devils took over possession on their own 32-yard line, but the drive once again stalled, this time when a completion from Thames to Staples fell short of a first down on a fourth-and-11 play.

Wilcox took possession and drove the ball 35 yards on five plays, capping it with a 2-yard scamper by Cole. The Jaguars then faked the extra point attempt with a jump pass for the two-point conversion. The game ended after the Blue Devils’ backup quarterback Rashaan Flavor threw an interception.

ECHS will return home on Friday to host UMS-Wright in a region game, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.