Reeltown’s old-school offense has plenty of firepower

Aside from its brand new field house, fancy wouldn’t be a word used to describe Reeltown’s football team.

Nix-Webster Stadium, the quaint little home field for the Rebels in rural Tallapoosa County, has changed little over the years.

There’s also nothing flashy about Reeltown’s uniform — still just a plain ol’ blue and white uniform with the Michigan-style wing on a white helmet.

And as for those new-fangled, pass-happy spread offenses that are the rage for most teams in this age, they can have them says veteran head coach Jackie O’Neal.

“I’m an old-school coach,” O’Neal said. “I feel you can’t win if you can’t run.

“Teams win a lot of games throwing the ball, but in the long run, you can’t win championships if you can’t run it.”

O’Neal took over as Reeltown’s coach in 1988.

And when the Rebels line up on Friday at Pickens County (11-1) in the third round of the Class 2A playoffs, the Tornadoes will find themselves trying to stop an old-school offense.

Reeltown still runs primarily out of the wishbone, an offense that was “the big thing” back in the 1970s and ’80s — an offense that many spread supporters would snicker at as, “obsolete”, “old”, “out-dated” and “behind-the-times.”

But in 2008, Reeltown has proven that the wishbone can still work in this era of football where quarterbacks throw the ball upwards of 40 times a game.

The Rebels have rolled off 11 consecutive victories since a Week 1 loss to Dadeville and are scoring 38.5 points per game.

That includes games where the offense has put up 67 and 59 points in consecutive weeks, and five games where the team has topped the 40-point mark.

And to top it off, as the wishbone typically does, it hasn’t been just one player putting up big numbers.

“The key has been the diversity on offense,” O’Neal said. “You can’t just sit back and scheme to stop one guy. We have four or five running backs that are over 400 or 500 yards this year.

“If something happens to one of those guys or if one’s having a bad night, someone else has been stepping in there and having a big game.”

Junior Willie McKenzie is the leading rusher for the Rebels with more than 700 yards on the ground. Just behind him are senior Anarius White and sophomore Ki-Shawn Powell-O’Neal — both with more than 600 yards to their credit.

Add Trey McKeithen’s 500-plus yards and fullback Carlton Turner’s 400-plus, and you have a backfield that’s been nearly impossible to stop.

“It’s the kind of team I like,” Jackie O’Neal said. “You don’t depend on just one kid.

“If something happens, the others pick up the slack.”

Reeltown’s old-school style also carries over to an offensive line which uses old-school techniques and has what many would call old-school
size at an average of just 5-foot-10, 245 pounds.

“A bunch of short squatters,” as Jackie O’Neal described them.

“We teach them leverage — the old-school technique of using their shoulder pads to fire off the ball and drive a defender back,” he continued. “There’s not a lot of hands being used — that’s more for that spread-type blocking.

“We’re big on congratulating that offensive line, and they’ve definitely done a tremendous job for us this year.”

Reeltown’s offense will have its work cut out Friday against a Pickens County team, which like Reeltown, hasn’t lost since Week 1.

The Tornadoes’ defense has been stout, allowing just 11.5 points per game with 28 to Class 3A Gordo being the team’s highest point total allowed.

“They’re a great ballclub and are blessed with a lot of speed,” Jackie O’Neal said. “It’s going to be a tremendous challenge for us on both sides of the ball.”

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