This week’s Indianola Academy football playoff competition is not only a familiar playoff opponent but promises to be noticeably more competitive.
After completing their first step of the State AAA playoffs with last Friday’s 45-12 pummeling of visiting North Delta of Batesville, the 11-0 Colonels now turn their attention to the Leake Academy Rebels.
Hailing from Madden, the Rebels will bring a deceiving 7-4 record to Legion Field this Friday for a 7 p.m. second-round kickoff against the Colonels, who claimed their 25th consecutive victory last week.
“We played well on both sides of the ball last week” said Head Coach Tommy Nester, whose latest IA contest represents his 100th Indianola Academy victory since taking over the football program a dozen years ago.
As for this week’s competition, Leake Academy opened IA’s playoff competition last season, a game which ended with the Colonels claiming a 41-29 decision.
However, this year’s Leake Academy version is, according to Nester, “good and strong all way around. They have a good quarterback who can throw it to a very, very good receiver along with strong running backs. They battled some injuries early in the year but are really playing well right now.”
“Leake Academy will play hard, they are well-coached, and will give great effort. This will be a real test for us.”
On the same night IA was improving their home-field win streak to 38 games with their playoff-opening win over the now 6-5 Green Wave, Leake Academy was in Cleveland handing Bayou Academy a 24-0 shutout defeat.
The Rebels’ recent victory continues a trend of playing well over the course of the last month as their only loss in that period of time has been a 21-13 decision to District 2AAA champion, and once-beaten, Starkville Academy.
Should IA claim this week’s contest with Leake Academy, they will move on to host one of the semifinal contests next week against the winner of this Friday’s Riverfield (La.) Academy versus Columbia Academy match-up.
In last week’s win over North Delta School, the Colonels would use a staunch defense and a 230-yard, five touchdown rushing effort by Sebastian Harris to fuel their playoff victory.
Taking control of the game early, the Colonels would score a pair of touchdowns within the first six minutes of the game to a take a 13-0 lead over the Green Wave.
The first IA score was set up on the game’s fifth offensive play when linebacker Josh Hill picked off a Green Wave pass and returned it to the North Delta eight yard line.
It would take IA only one play to reach the end zone as Harris burst through a gaping hole in the line and registered the score.
Following William Barrier’s PAT kick and ensuing kickoff, the IA defense forced a North Delta punt.
Ten plays and 67 yards later, Harris ran in from two yards out to give the Colonels their baker’s dozen lead which stood through the first period of the game.
Following an exchange of punts, the Colonels would then break the game open by scoring twice on two successive offensive plays, and within a three and a half minute time frame.
It was Harris who each time followed his blockers around the right side, broke tackles, and then outran defenders to the end zone.
The first long TD run was a 55-yard jaunt while the second quick score found the senior running back covering 70 yards of the football field.
On North Delta’s subsequent possession, Randy Kimble would then intercept a North Delta pass to give IA possession on their 10 yard line.
Four plays later, the Colonels used another long-distance run to move the score to a 35-0 margin.
On this occasion, it was quarterback Will Davis doing the honors as the junior ran 75 yards, nearly untouched, for the touchdown.
Although North Delta returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a TD, the two-point conversion failed leaving IA up by a 35-6 margin.
However, the Colonels answered before the first half expired when Harris’ 17-yard scoring run completed a three play, 58-yard drive to give IA a 42-6 lead.
On the opening possession of the second half, IA would score its final points of the game when a 32-yard field goal by Barrier moved the score to a 45-6 margin.
With all IA players seeing playing time in this game, the Colonels continued to render the Green Wave scoreless until a pass play would make its way to the end zone as time expired.
Statistically, the Colonels’ defense limited North Delta to 198 yards of total offense, 99 of which were earned on the Green Wave’s final scoring drive.
In addition to Kimble’s two pass interceptions, the Colonels were led by linebacker Stefon Smith’s one solo, eight assist performance.
While Barrier recorded two solos and four assists, defensive end Wesley Lester added six assists to the IA resistance.
Completing the defensive leaders for the Colonels was Josh Hill, who added four assists to his pass interception.
Offensively, the Colonels accumulated 421 yards of total offense against North Delta, with 375 of those yards being earned by way of 31 rushes into the line.
With all three of his pass completions going to T.K. Bolden, Davis completed three of his six pass attempts for 46 yards.
