They just keep rolling along.
After using a punishing defense as well as an offense which featured timely big plays, the Indianola Academy Colonels improved their record to a 3-0 mark last Friday with a not-as-close-as-it-sounds 35-21 victory over visiting Starkville Academy.
The top-ranked AAA Colonels also extended their home field winning streak to 34 games while picking up their 17th consecutive victory with their decision over the now 2-1 Volunteers, who entered the game ranked No. 3 among AAA schools.
“It was a tough game”, said IA Head Coach Tommy Nester, ”but we got ahead and were able to stay there. Defensively, it was our best game to date.”
The same effort will be needed this Friday night when the Colonels travel to Louisville to take on the always tough Patriots of Winston Academy.
This 7 p.m. kickoff will pit the IA squad against a Winston Academy team owning a 2-1 record after dropping a 35-14 loss to AAAA member Copiah Academy.
“Winston Academy is big up front on both sides of the ball,” Nester said. “They run an offense with the quarterback under center which is something we have not seen this year. They run the ball well offensively and are pretty aggressive on defense.”
Prior to last week’s contest, the Patriots had opened their 2017 season with victories over Newton Academy and Sylva Bay Academy while allowing only one touchdown in the process.
Historically, IA and Winston Academy have not played each other since 2010 and the Patriots own a 4-1 series edge over the Colonels.
In last Friday’s game against Starkville Academy, the only first down allowed by the IA defense in the first half of play came by way of a pass interference call as the Volunteers struggled to get anything going offensively.
When all was said and done, after entering the game averaging over 35 points per contest, the Volunteers did not score an offensive touchdown until 7:10 remained in the game and with IA subbing freely.
Meanwhile, the IA offense did what it does best by mixing a punishing ground game with a big play passing attack.
That passing attack struck on IA’s second possession of the game when the duo of quarterback Will Davis and wide receiver T.K. Bolden collaborated on a 62 yard touchdown strike.
William Barrier’s first of five PAT kicks then gave IA a 7-0 lead, which stood through the first period of play.
The IA offense then used an 11-play, 60-yard drive to move the halftime score to a 14-0 margin when junior running back Wesley Lester completed the march down the field by crashing over from one yard out for the touchdown.
It would only take three plays into the second half for IA to score again as senior Sebastian Harris burst through a big hole provided by his offensive line and he sprinted 30 yards for the touchdown.
Now down 21-0, the Volunteers got onto the scoreboard with just under four minutes remaining in the third quarter by way of a pass interception being returned 29 yards for a touchdown.
It only took IA two offensive plays and less than a minute to answer as Harris erupted through the line yet again and outraced defenders 71 yards to the end zone.
This 28-7 IA lead mushroomed to a 35-7 lead early in the fourth frame after Lester registered his second touchdown of the night by completing a six-play, 68-yard drive with a 12-yard scoring run.
Starkville Academy then added a pair of late-game scores to take the game to its final point margin.
Offensively in this game, the Colonels accumulated 409 yards of total offense with 281 of those yards coming by way of 37 rushes into the line.
Leading that attack was Harris, who finished with 208 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 18 carries.
Through the air, Davis completed six of 10 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. Bolden pulled in three of those passes for 100 yards and a touchdown while Randy Kimble also snagged three passes for another 28 yards of offense.
In an impressive defensive performance, the Colonels only gave up 190 yards of offense to Starkville Academy; 102 yards by rushing and 88 yards on five pass completions.
The Colonels also intercepted three of the 16 passes thrown by the Volunteers as Barrier, Kimble, and DeDe Willis killed Starkville Academy drives with their pass picks.
Pacing IA’s defensive resistance was Lester, as the defensive end was seemingly everywhere. The junior completed his night’s play with five solo tackles, eight assists, while also executing an across the field touchdown-saving tackle.
Turning in an active night as well was linebacker Stefon Smith, who punished the Volunteers with two solo tackles and six assists.
Also making their presence known were Jack Dodd and Woods Toler with 6 assists apiece and John Abbot Smith with 5 assists.
