WAKEFIELD—Portsmouth Christian School made history here Friday at the expense of Tidewater Academy.

The Patriots, in their first season of football competition, scored a fourth-quarter touchdown to beat the Warriors 12-7 at Wakefield Recreational Center.

Tidewater Academy, which finished 0-8 a year ago, fell in the debut of new head coach Adam Thacker, who served as an assistant at the Wakefield school for the past three seasons.

Senior Chris Grammer’s 25-yard touchdown run capped a nine-play, 95-yard drive in the second quarter to give Tidewater a 7-6 lead at halftime. The Warriors, who limited the visitors to 95 yards of total offense, held the advantage until Steven Newton’s 26-yard scoring run with nine minutes left in the game.

Tidewater rolled up 244 yards of offense, including 200 on the ground, but struggled to find the end zone. The Warriors failed to convert six times on fourth-down attempts.

Tidewater had more than twice as many first downs (13) as the Patriots (6).

The Warriors return to action at 7:30 p.m. Friday against Brunswick Academy on the road. Portsmouth Christian hosts Norfolk Christian.