PREP CAPSULES: Poka-Reeltown rivalry continues

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of three stories previewing Friday’s high school football games.

Reeltown’s Jackie O’Neal and Loachapoka’s Jerome Tate are two of the area’s longest tenured head coaches at their respective schools.

O’Neal has been at Reeltown 21 years, while Tate is in his 13th at Loachapoka. Through those years, the two close friends have seen their teams tangle one another quite a few times.

The teams normally played each other as non-region Class 1A teams for years.

That was until a four-year drought between 2000 and 2003 seasons.

The teams resumed playing as region foes in Class 1A in ’04 and ’05 and both moved up to Class 2A for ’06 and ’07.

This year, though, the tradition-packed teams are in different classifications, with Reeltown remaining in 2A while Loachapoka dropped to 1A.

That doesn’t take any luster off the matchup, though.

No. 5 Loachapoka is off to its customary fast start at 4-0 and 3-0 in Class 1A-Region 4.

And to say the Indians defense has been impressive would be a major understatement. In their last three games, Loachapoka’s defense hasn’t
allowed a single point and have only given up 14 all year.

For the year, Loachapoka has outscored its opponents, 147-14. That includes a 127-0 mark in the past three contests.

Reeltown started the year with a tough loss to Dadeville, but has since bounced back with three consecutive wins including last Friday’s 41-6 win over Goshen.

AISA
Hooper (1-4) at No. 10 Lee-Scott (3-1)
Lee-Scott is booming with confidence right now after consecutive wins over ranked teams.

A week after knocking off highly-ranked Macon-East, LSA took out then eighth- ranked Morgan, 17-7.

The win allowed LSA to move into the ASWA poll this week at No. 10.

Glenwood (2-2) at Prattville Christian (0-5)
Glenwood is trying to get back on the right track after falling to Pike Liberal Arts, 21-0, last week.

This week could be a good cure. Prattville Christian is allowing 39.2 points per game in its five losses.

Springwood (2-3) at Shelby (2-2)
Both teams are coming off tough defeats last week.

Springwood was hammered by Autauga, 21-9, while Shelby was blanked by Lowndes, 27-0.

Chambers (1-3) at Cornerstone (3-1)
Chambers picked up its first win of the season last week by beating Abbeville Christian, 41-14.

Abbeville (1-3) at Lyman Ward (1-3)
Both teams have been running the same path.

After two losses to open the year, both picked up a win two weeks ago.

But both also suffered lopsided losses last week.