After striking first, the Albert Lea football team was unable to keep pace with Tri-City United.

On the opening play from scrimmage, Jake Kilby rumbled 72 yards and later capped the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run, but the Titans reeled off 47 unanswered points on Friday as the Tigers fell 47-7 at Montgomery.

Tri-City United (5-0, 4-0 South Central Red) and Marshall are the only undefeated teams in the district. The first half was close, as the Titans needed a touchdown with 20 seconds left in the first half to expand their lead to two possessions.

“We played two and a half quarters with one of the best teams in the conference,” said Albert Lea coach Kevin Armbrust. “The score doesn’t reflect how close it was.”

Albert Lea (0-5, 0-5 South Central Red) trailed 20-7 at halftime.

Emmitt Stevens led the Tigers with 11 1/2 tackles, and Cody Ball added 8 1/2.

Armbrust said Jarod Martin also found success on the defensive side of the ball by disrupting Tri-City United’s offense with penetration into the backfield.

“Jarod did a great job defensively,” Armbrust said. “He was making the plays happen. He was busting up their offense early.”

Kilby led the Tigers’ rushing attack with 94 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. As the team’s starting quarterback, Kilby shared time behind center with Sam Chalmers, who completed two passes for 16 yards.

Next, Albert Lea will host No. 4 (AAAA) Marshall (5-0, 5-0 South Central Red) at 7 p.m. Friday. Marshall has shut out four of its five opponents and outscored its opponents by a combined score of 262-7.