Reeltown takes out rival Loachapoka, 24-14

REELTOWN — The 12th man came through Friday night for the Reeltown Rebels (4-1). 

So did the running game.

The jubilant crowd helped cheer on their Rebels (3-1) to a 24-14 over rival Loachapoka (4-1), ending the Indian’s four-game winning streak.

For the first half, the fans at Nix-Webster stadium were somewhat reserved. Reeltown put up the first points of the game with a touchdown run by Carlton Turner.

With 4:53 left in the first quarter, Turner carried the ball 6 yards for the score. The Rebels failed on their point-after attempt, starting a string of missed 2-point conversions. 

The Rebels struck again with 3:34 remaining in the second to go ahead of the Indians, 12-0. However, Loachapoka found a spark on offense with quarterback Patrick Moore, who scrambled for a touchdown from 8 yards out with 5.8 seconds left to go until halftime. A missed extra point put the score at 12-6 at the half. 

The second half was a totally different story. Loachapoka came out of the gate, mixing up the run and pass out of their spread-shotgun offense. Moore scored his second touchdown with a 7-yard scramble, even after receiving a hard hit the play before. The Indians were successful on their 2-point attempt to put the score at 14-12.

But Reeltown’s wishbone would not be broken. Unfortunately for Loachapoka, this got the 12th man stirring.

Reeltown answered with a methodical, hard-nosed series of running out of the wishbone formation. After a crowd-led series, Juantavious McKeithen punched the ball in from 1-yard out.

This sent the crowd into bedlam. The bedlam carried over into the defense, who held the Indians after a fourth-down try. 

Reeltown put the nail in the coffin with a touchdown with 4:38 left in the fourth quarter. Reeltown’s defense shut down Loachapoka to take the win.

Leading the way the Rebels on the ground was Willie McKenzie, who had six attempts for 67 yards.

The lone pass completion for the Rebels went for 27 yards from quarterback Anarius White to McKenzie.

Penalties were a consistent problem for the Indians, as they lost 94 yards on 11 infractions.

Moore was the lone bright spot for a disappointed Loachapoka team. In passing, Moore was 7-for-12 with 58 yards and a interception. On the ground, he added 101 yards on 12 attempts.

After the game, Reeltown head coach Jackie O’Neal was pleased with his team’s performance. 

“Feel great, feel great,” O’Neal said. “We played hard and aggressive. There were two great teams out there tonight.”

O’Neal was also impressed by his offensive line’s play, giving the unit a nod as the most outstanding players Friday. 

“If I had to pick a group right now, I would have say the offensive line,” he said. “They were the defining point.”

Loachapoka head coach Jerome Tate, however, could not share O’Neal’s sentiment. 

“I’m not very pleased with it,” Tate said of his team’s performance.

“They did exactly what we thought they were going to do. Coach O’Neal had his guys ready to play tonight.”