PREP FOOTBALL: Reeltown wins, heads to semifinals

By: Special to the News | Opelika Auburn News
Published: November 21, 2009

CHATOM — A pair of successful 2-point conversions in the first half proved to be the difference as No. 1-ranked Reeltown outlasted Washington County, 22-20, on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the 2A state playoffs.

Reeltown will host Pickens County next Friday night in the semifinals. Pickens County knocked off No. 2 Leroy on Friday, 19-12.

The winner of the Reeltown-Pickens County game will advance to the Class 2A state title game in two weeks in Tuscaloosa.

The Bulldogs scored their final touchdown on a 4-yard run from Devanta Parnell, but were unable to convert a 2-point try to Ladarren Holcombe that would have tied the game at the end of the third quarter.

“You can’t take anything from Reeltown, they knew what they had to do and they did it,” Washington County coach Joe

Nettles said. “They didn’t make a mistake. They played a flawless ballgame.”

The Rebels (12-1) used a WCHS fumble to score first on a 1-yard run from Willie McKenzie and McKenzie’s 2-point catch from Milton Chambliss. McKenzie led Reeltown with 16 carries for 75 yards.

Ki-shawn Powell added a 1-yard run in the second quarter and contributed 64 yards on 12 carries, and Juantavious McKeithen cashed in a 2-point conversion run and added 51 yards on 15 carries for the Rebels, who led 16-14 at halftime.

Anthony McKeithen grabbed a 35-yard TD pass from Chambliss late in the third quarter for Reeltown’s final score.

“We make two bad mistakes — we don’t cover one on a pass and have a fumble, and that’s the difference in the football game,” Nettles said.

Parnell led the Bulldogs (10-3) with 132 yards on 23 carries. LaVance Williams added 102 yards on four carries, including an 83-yard burst, and Caleb Beech completed 6-of-10 passes, including a 14-yard strike to Dez Turner that gave Washington County the lead midway through the second quarter.

“We had a great year,” Nettles said. “We didn’t get the ending we’d like, but we had a great year. We played hard, we have a majority of them coming back and maybe these young guys will learn something.”