Coming off his coaching debut win the week before against Shoals Christian, Jacob Hamilton said he knew the second one would be tougher.

It was.

The Wildcats fell behind early and couldn’t recover, losing to Phillips 37-22.

“Getting that second win is tough,” said Hamilton. “We have to correct our mistakes and keep getting better.”

Phillips opened up a 19-0 lead in the first half with two scores in the first quarter and a back-breaker off a turnover late in the second quarter.

The Wildcats got their first score early in the third quarter on a two-yard run by Dawson Higgins to cut the lead to 19-6.

Phillips put the game away with two quick scores early in the fourth quarter to make the score 31-6.

Tharptown scored with 3:16 to go in the game on a 36-yard run by Jackson Clement, making the score 31-14.

Phillips answered with another goal, pushing the score to 37-14. Tharptown added a final score on a 54-yard run by Higgins.

Higgins carried the ball 10 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns.

The Wildcats will host Tanner Friday night in their region opener.