AKRON — The Ellwood Christian Academy Eagles locked up their region’s No. 3 playoff seed, as they defeated the Akron Rams 36-7 on Friday.

Mike Stokes, head football coach of Ellwood (5-4, 3-4 Class 1A-Region 3), said the Eagles’ defense won the game, and securing the No. 3 seed in Region 3 says a lot about the program.

“Our defense played just superb tonight,” Stokes said. “It shows you where our program has come from. It shows the great and positive direction that it’s headed in.”

Ellwood quarterback Jalen Furlow scored on runs of 23 and 25 yards, while Devonte Cleveland scored on a 60-yard run, and Deriaun Gleen scored on a 50-yard run for the Eagles against Akron (4-5, 2-5 Class 1A-Region 3).

Ellwood now sets its sights on a regular-season closing game against Selma High School at Memorial Stadium.

Stokes said the Eagles will make few adjustments going into a game that has rivalry potential.

“We’re going to polish up a few things on offense, but other than that, we’re just really going to keep it the same,” Stokes said. “It’s going to be a good game for us. It’ll be a big boost. We have four or five guys that went to Selma High, and right now they’re just sitting on the edge of their seat. They’re just ready to play.”

The Tuscaloosa News contributed to this story.