HALEYVILLE — Phil Campbell got the high school football season going Thursday night with a jamboree game at Haleyville, but the Bobcats would have liked it more if the results had been reversed.

The Lions used a strong running attack to earn a 21-6 win against Phil Campbell, but despite the loss Bobcat coach Bo Culver found several positives for his team.

“They played hard and I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Culver said. “Offensively (quarterback) Tyson Sumerel did a good job getting rid of the ball and (wide receiver) Jamie Dorroh played well.”

Haleyville jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, but Phil Campbell charged back down the field to score.

The drive was marred by penalties and the Bobcats faced several third-and-long situations. During the drive Phil Campbell picked up first downs on a fourth-and-nine play and a third-and-11 play. They also got a little help from Haleyville on the drive when the Lions roughed the passer on third-and-17 and got called for pass interference on third-and-13.

“We’re not scared of third-and-long,” Culver said. “We don’t want to be in it, but we still run our offense.”

Culver said the game revealed a few areas the Bobcats need to improve in before the regular season starts Friday. He said the team has to eliminate mental mistakes and get more push at the point of attack on both sides of the ball.

Phil Campbell will host Cold Springs Friday.