It was another game decided in the final seconds of play for the Escambia County High School Blue Devils Friday night in their region matchup with the Saraland Spartans.

As they have several times this season, ECHS found their offense on the field with only seconds to go and a long field ahead of them with the game-deciding score hanging in the balance. Friday night the time and yardage got the best of the Devils as they fell 24-16 to the Spartans.

ECHS head coach Mark Heaton said the team now has to regain their composure as they need two more region wins to clench a playoff berth.

“We’re not playing very well right now,” Heaton said. “We’re not playing as a team and I think that’s more or less what’s hurting us right now. Not having everybody on the same page playing as a team.”

The Blue Devils needed teamwork Friday night as they found themselves down 17-0 early in the game.

Early in the second half ECHS found a groove and put points on the board with a touchdown pass from Chris Johnson to receiver Carl Staples to close the gap to 17-7.

The Spartans struck again in the second half to lead ECHS 24-7 before the Blue Devils found pay dirt once again off a hook up between Johnson and Tyjustin Brown.

ECHS found some momentum late in the game, coming up with a block on a Spartan punt and a recovery in the end zone for a safety to pull within a score of a tied ballgame.

Heaton said the ECHS offense got one more shot at points late in the fourth quarter inside the Spartan 25-yard line but were unable to capitalize and found themselves facing a long field with only 20 seconds left in regulation.

Needing a score and a two-point conversion, the Devils took a shot down field but were unable to find the last-minute success they have achieved earlier in the season.

“We took a shot at the end zone there at the end and we couldn’t come down with it,” Heaton said.

Despite the loss, Heaton said his team played tough football in the second half of the game.

“We fought hard there,” he said. “But we kind of put ourselves in a bad situation early.”

Heaton said his team will have to continue to play in the fashion they have late in the game for a full 60 minutes in order to find some late-season success.

“We came back out in the second half and played physically. We went down and scored and we had a blocked punt. We just didn’t have enough time to fight back and try and get that win.”

The Blue Devils now sit at 2-3 in class 4A region 1 play but will have chances to tip the record in their favor with games against the Jackson Aggies and the Monroe County Tigers still looming on the schedule.

The Devils (3-4, 3-2) will face their next region opponents in the No. 2-ranked Aggies next Friday on the raod in Jackson. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Herbert Barnes Stadium.