For the fifth consecutive year, the Indianola Academy Colonels are the District 1AAA football champions.
As an added bonus, following last Friday’s 49-28 road decision over Bayou Academy of Cleveland, the 9-0, 3-0 Colonels also secured home field advantage when they begin their play in the State AAA playoffs set to begin Oct. 27.
However, there is one final regular season game the Colonels are required to win in order to keep their perfect record and 23-game win streak intact.
This Friday night in Clarksdale, the Colonels will take the field at 7 p.m. against the 4-4, 1-2 Lee Academy Colts, who are bringing a two-game win streak into the game.
“I was pleased with the kids’ effort last week”, said IA Head Coach Tommy Nester, “but Lee Academy has been playing pretty good ball lately. We will have to bring that same effort again this and every week.”
Those Lee Academy Colts most recently defeated Kirk Academy of Grenada by a 53-20 margin, a decision which was preceded by a 25-13 victory over Macon Road Baptist of Memphis.
Last season, Lee Academy posted a 2-8 record which included a 35-7 loss to the Colonels.
Continuing the longest running series in IA history, this Friday marks the 45th meeting between these two schools.
Lee Academy owns a 24-20 series edge although the Colonels have prevailed the last four times they have met on the football field.
In last Friday’s victory over Bayou Academy, the Colonels scored twice within the game’s opening five minutes to quickly set the tone of the game.
The game’s first points were scored by IA special teams as junior Stefon Smith blocked and gathered in a Colts punt which he turned into a ten-yard touchdown run.
William Barrier then split the uprights with the first of his seven PAT kicks to give IA a 7-0 lead with only 1:06 gone in the game.
On their ensuing possession, the Colts would then fall prey to a pass interception by Woods Toler to give IA the football on their own 34 yard line.
Eight plays later, senior running back Sebastian Harris sprinted in from 15 yards out to give IA a 14-0 lead.
While the IA defense would continue to render the Colts scoreless, the Colonels proceeded to score on each of their next four possessions to own a 42-0 lead by mid-second period.
Junior Wesley Lester began this scoring parade with a five yard scoring run which was followed almost four minutes later with Smith’s second touchdown of the game, a one yard pass from quarterback Will Davis.
Sophomore wide receiver Thomas Putnam would then complete IA’s opening possession of the second period with an 18-yard touchdown run around the right side.
Five minutes later Harris would then do what he consistently does; executing a long, tackle breaking run to paydirt, on this occasion covering 56 yards. The score gave IA a 42-0 lead and led to many young Colonels receiving early-game playing time.
Although the Colts followed a kickoff return for a touchdown and then converted an IA fumble into a touchdown, IA owned a 42-14 lead at halftime.
The Colonels posted their final points of the night three plays into the third quarter when Davis and Harris collaborated on a 42 yard scoring pass.
While all 41 IA players, including ninth graders, were seeing playing time, the Colonels then coasted to their 28-point district victory.
Offensively, the Colonels produced 408 yards of total offense with 293 of those yards earned with 32 rushes into the line.
Harris led the way with 177 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries while also adding his 42 yard touchdown reception.
Under center, Davis completed seven of his 10 passes for 115 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
While Randy Kimble pulled in two of those passes covering 35 yards, Smith’s pair of receptions picked up another 17 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Colonels were led by Clint Jones’ four solo, five assist night of play while Alex Tannehill was close behind with a three solo, six assist performance.
Also making their presence known was Jack Dodd with six assists and Stefon Smith with three solos, four assists and a blocked punt.
Rounding out the leaders were John Abbott Smith and James Roberts, as the pair finished with a solo tackle and four assists apiece.
