Winning is always good; winning your third straight game of the season makes it even sweeter. When that third straight win happens to be against a cross-town rival, and your homecoming game, it's the sweetest taste ever.

The Jacksonville Golden Eagles once again put on an impressive offensive display as six different runners racked up over 300 yards rushing, and the defense allowed only one touchdown as Jacksonville (4-1, 2-1) downed Pleasant Valley (0-5), 21-6.

Pleasant Valley's winless season is not indicative of the way it played. True to the way head coach Jeff Davis has prepared his team the last couple of years, the Raiders came ready to play.

A larger more heralded Golden Eagle line did what it has done the past three games against Ashville, Alexandria and now the Raiders; they simply wore down their opposition.

Jacksonville head coach Roland Houston was complimentary of the Raider team.

"We made some turnovers and had some penalties but you have to give them (Raiders) credit, they played good football, they tackled good, they had good schemes," he said. "The kids tackled hard and played us as hard as we've had anyone play us."

Jacksonville jumped on board in the first quarter on a one-yard run by Coryell Elston. The extra point by Brock Sanderson was good to put the Eagles up by seven.

On the next series Pleasant Valley's quarterback, Michael Lockridge, was intercepted by Jacksonville's Jackson Pearson in the end zone.

The Eagles capitalized and marched down the field aided by a 34-yard run by Cordero Little, who ended the game with 142 yards rushing.

Fullback Stephen Waters, with tackle Taylor Warner leading the way, ran 10 yards untouched for the second Jacksonville score.

Pleasant Valley had its troubles sustaining an offensive drive during the first half with two fumbles, an interception and two punts ending drives.

The Golden Eagles came out of the locker room and marched down the field. Quarterback Forrest Pearson commandeered his offensive unit and it was Pearson taking it into the end zone going six-yards up the middle for the score. Pearson ended the game 5-of-9 in the passing department for 70 yards while rushing for 46 yards.

The two-point conversion was good and Jacksonville went up 21-0.

The lead was short lived as Pleasant Valley took five minutes off the clock with an impressive drive of its own, culminating in a two-yard run by Joseph Faucett for the score. The extra point failed, giving the Eagles a 21-6 edge.

The Raiders showed signs of promising drives. Using three quarterbacks, Lockridge, Stephen Hurst and Corey Shackleford, Pleasant Valley threw for 104 yards, 52 in each half. However the running game never got on track for the Raiders as Jacksonville held them to only 26 yards rushing in the first half and 71 in the second.

Jacksonville's defense time and again put the Raiders in a hole. The dynamic duo of Waters and Zach Shadoan kept pressure on the Raiders' backfield all night long, constantly pressuring the quarterbacks and sacking them five times.

Knox Newell also was credited with causing a fumble and pressuring the quarterback; Joey Thompson caused a fumble and recovered a fumble and Forrest Pearson also recovered a fumble.

Other key players for the Eagles were Immanuel Holifield, Trevon Huey, Warner, Jack Whaley, Noah Whaley, the Pearson brothers and Randy Wood.

Coach Houston was also quick to sing the praises of punter Samuel Sawyer. Three times Sawyer had to scoop up a low snap while punting the ball, each time deep in Raider territory.

Houston summed up the game tis way.

"A win is a win. I'm very happy with our guys right now and the way they did it," he said. "To come through at the end and only give up one touchdown against a team that last year scored 30-some points on us, I'm very happy."

Houston and his team will now turn their thoughts to Friday's game and a very tough and physical Hokes Bluff team. Hokes Bluff comes into the game with an identical record to that of the Eagles. A win is crucial to both teams in the regional race.

The game will be played at Golden Eagle Stadium at 7 p.m.

Pleasant Valley will host Leeds Friday at 7 p.m.