FAYETTEVILLE — It wasn’t pretty Friday in Fayetteville, but Purnell Swett found a way to grind out a win against E.E. Smith – a feat no other county squad accomplished on opening night.

Backed by a pair of 4th-and-1 stops by the defense in the fourth quarter, the Rams dealt the Golden Bulls their 19th consecutive loss by a 20-6 margin at D.T. Carter Stadium.

Swett’s front four dominated in the final frame, giving the ball back to the offense on three occasions. The first turnover-on-downs came with the score tied at six with 10 minutes to play and E.E. Smith on its own 11-yard line.

“Our line has played great in practice all week,” defensive lineman Andrew Jacobs said, after recording four tackles and a forced fumble. “Coach told us we were a second half team and to get after it on defense and we really showed that tonight.”

Jacobs’ and a crew of defenders snuffed out the fake punt attempt for no gain. Swett took over and scored the go ahead touchdown two plays later on a Jock Clark 4-yard plunge.

The Rams (1-0) limited the Golden Bulls to six first downs and forced eight total fumbles. Three were recovered by the Rams with two miscues turned into points.

“A lot of those fumbles come by our defense and some come by Smith’s inexperience,” Swett coach Mark Heil said. “We played pretty good on both sides but lost a few battles at the line of scrimmage. That’s something we’ll try and fix.

Both teams played sloppy and struggled in the first half – three turnovers and 11 penalties combined – but the Rams managed a touchdown on their final possession to salvage a 6-6 tie at halftime.

Quarterback Ethan Clark rolled to his right on 3rd-and-goal from the 11, looking for a receiver in the back of the endzone. The play broke down and Clark darted his way through the center of E.E. Smith’s defense for the tying score.

Clark’s next touchdown, a 31-yard keeper down the left sideline with 3:54 to play in the game sealed the victory for Swett, making the score 20-6.

“Both of Ethan’s scores were morale boosters for us,” Heil said.

Tailback Jock Clark bulldozed his way to 106 yards on 21 carries to lead an offense that notched 11 first downs.

Golden Bulls’ running back Damario Eastmon led all rushers with 138 yards, including a 36-yard touchdown scamper in the second quarter for the game’s first points.

The Rams last loss to the Golden Bulls came in 2006 – a 17-12 setback on the road.